Mga ngiting hindi matatawaran. Namahagi ng pamaskong handog sa mga residente ng Brgy. Sorosoro sa Biñan, Laguna si Biñan Mayor Arman Dimaguila kasama si Vice Mayor Gel Alonte at ang mga miyembro ng sangguniang panlungsod dito. Ang Pamaskong Handog project ay sa pakikipagtulungan sa tanggapan ni Laguna Representative 1st District Len Alonte Naguiat.
Mahigit 400 ang magtutunggali para sa World Skills Competition sa China
Mahigit 400 na kalahok ang lalaban sa pambansang kompetisyon sa kasanayan ngayong taon, para sa pagkakataong makasali sa World Skills Competition sa China sa susunod na taon, ayon sa pahayag ng Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) noong Lunes.
Ang mga kalahok mula sa buong bansa ay nagpakita ng kanilang mga talento hanggang kahapon, Disyembre 16 sa kompetisyon na ginanap sa TESDA Central Office sa Taguig City, gayundin sa mga opisina nito sa Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions 2(Cagayan Valley), 3 (Central Luzon), 4-A (Calabarzon), at 7 (Central Visayas).
“This started with provincial skills competition, then moving to the regional skills competition. We modified the way competitions are held. There were three ways the competition can be conducted: in-person, virtual and hybrid competition. We developed our health and safety protocol for the competition which were strictly followed by the competitors,” ayon kay TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña sa panayam ng Philippine News Agency noong Lunes.
Dagdag pa niya, tiniyak nilang ganap na nabakunahan ang lahat ng kalahok. Nagbigay din ang TESDA ng health kits sa lahat ng sasali.
Kabilang sa mga skills areas sa pambansang kompetisyon ay ang electrical installation, carpentry, plumbing and heating, refrigeration at air conditioning, wall and floor tiling, landscape gardening, cabinet making, at joinery para sa construction at building technology sector; mechanical engineering CAD, electronics, mechatronics, welding, at prototype modeling para sa manufacturing at engineering technology sector; at 3D digital game art, fashion technology, at graphics design technology para sa creative arts at fashion sector.
Kasama rin ang IT network systems administration, IT software solutions for business, cybersecurity, and web technologies for the information and communication technology sector; beauty therapy, hairdressing, cooking, restaurant services, bakery, and hotel reception for the social and personal services sector; and automobile technologies for transportation and logistics sector.
Sinabi ni Lapeña na bukas din ang kompetisyon para sa mga hindi nagtapos ng TESDA.
Tinatahak na ni “Odette” ngayon ang Sulu Sea sa pagitan ng Cuyo at Cagayancillo Islands
Ang Bagyong “Odette” ay tuloy tuloy na tumutungo sa Palawan habang binabaybay nito ang Panay Gulf, ayon sa Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) ngayong Biyernes ng umaga.
Batay sa Sa 5 a.m. storm advisory ng Pagasa, ang mata ni Odette ay nasa layong 75 kilometro (km) timog-kanluran ng Iloilo City, simula 4:00 a.m.
Bahagyang humina ang bagyo dahil kasalukuyang nagdadala ito ng maximum sustained winds na 155 km per hour (kph) at pagbugsong aabot sa 235 kph, habang kumikilos pakanluran sa bilis na 35 kph.
Inaasahang magla-landfall ito sa vicinity ng northern o central portion ng Palawan mamayang hapon.
Ang nakasisirang lakas ng hangin ng bagyo ay inaasahan sa loob ng 18 oras sa hilagang bahagi ng Palawan (El Nido, Taytay, Araceli, Dumaran, Roxas, San Vicente, Puerto Princesa City) including Cagayancillo and Cuyo Islands
Inaasahan ang nakakasirang gale- to-storm-force sa loob ng 24 oras sa katimugang bahagi ng Oriental Mindoro (Bansud, Bulalacao, Roxas, Bongabong, Mansalay), katimugang bahagi ng Occidental Mindoro (Rizal, San Jose, Magsaysay, Calintaan, Sablayan), kanlurang bahagi ng Romblon (Looc, Ferrol, Santa Fe, San Jose, Alcantara, Santa Maria, Odiongan, San Agustin, San Andres, Calatrava), at gitnang bahagi ng Palawan (Narra, Sofronio Española, Quezon, Aborlan, Rizal, Brooke’s Point) kasama ang Kalayaan at Calamian Islands
Ang malakas na hangin ay inaasahan sa loob ng 36 oras sa kanlurang bahagi ng Camarines Sur, Albay (Del Gallego, Ragay, Lupi, Sipocot, Libmanan, Cabusao, Calabanga, Bombon, Magarao, Canaman, Pamplona, Camaligan, Gainza, Pasacao, Naga City, Milaor, San Fernando, Pili, Ocampo, Sagñay, Buhi, Iriga City, Baao, Bula, Minalabac, Nabua, Balatan, Bato), Sorsogon, Masbate kasama ang Ticao and Burias Islands, Marinduque, katimugang bahagi ng Quezon (San Antonio, Tiaong, Candelaria, Sariaya, Dolores, Lucena City, Pagbilao, Padre Burgos, Atimonan, Agdangan, Unisan, Gumaca, Plaridel, Pitogo, Lopez, Guinayangan, Buenavista, Catanauan, General Luna, Macalelon, Mulanay, San Narciso, San Andres, San Francisco, Tagkawayan, Calauag, Quezon, Alabat, City of Tayabas, Perez), ang natitirang bahagi ng Occidental Mindoro kasama ang Lubang Islands, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan at Batangas.
Cement mixer truck, nahulog sa Lian River, 2 ang nasawi
Lian, Batangas. Dalawang construction worker ang namatay matapos mahulog ang cement mixer truck na kanilang sinasakyan sa ginagawang kalsada sa gilid ng Lian River sa loob ng Lian Eco Park sa Sitio Hermosa, Barangay Malarahutan, bayang ito.
Kinilala ng Lian Rescue Team ang mga nasawi na sina Aniceto Oal , 38 taong gulang, may-asawa, driver at John John Obligado, 27, binata na pawang residente ng Lian.
Ayon sa imbestigasyon ng Lian Police Station, tumagilid ang cement mixer truck habang bumabaybay sa ginagawang kalsada sa tabing ilog ng bigla itong tumagilid at tuluyang nahulog. Ayon sa mga nakasaksi, nagtangka pang tumalon si Obligado ngunit kasabay nitong nahulog ang trak.
Ayon sa report, mabilis ang isinagawang pag saklolo ng Lian Rescue Team ngunit hindi na umabot ng buhay ang mga biktima sa Apacible Memorial Hospital.
DSWD nagbabala sa publiko vs. fake FB page na nag aalok ng ‘ayuda’ online
Nagbabala ang Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) kahapon sa publiko laban sa pagsunod sa isang impostor na DSWD Facebook page, na umano’y nag-aalok ng tulong pinansyal sa mga netizens.
Nakatanggap ang kagawaran ng ulat mula sa isang concerned citizen na ang isang pekeng FB page, na kumakalat online, ay nag-post ng status na humihiling sa publiko na magparehistro sa pamamagitan ng isang link upang makatanggap ng Php 10,000 na tulong pinansyal.
Binigyang-diin ng DSWD na wala itong mga programa o tulong pinansyal na ipinapatupad online o sa pamamagitan ng social media platforms.
Samantala, pinaalalahanan ng ng DSWDna sumangguni lamang sa opisyal na Facebook Page ng DSWD, https://www.facebook.com/ dswdserves o @dswdserves, na mayroong mahigit 1.1 milyong followers, para sa mga anunsyo at update tungkol sa iba’t ibang serbisyo at programa nito.
Kasalukuyang nagsasagawa ng angkop na aksyon at pagsisiyasat ang nabanggit na departamento tungkol sa usapin.
Para sa mga katulad na concern, pinapayuhan ang publiko na isumbong ito sa DSWD Agency Operations Center sa 8888 hotline.
DHSUD chief: Bacoor housing project perpektong Christmas gift para sa mga benepisaryo
Bacoor City, Cavite. Mahigit 1,400 pamilya ang tatanggap ng maagang pamasko ngayong taon kasunod ng seremonyal na turnover ng bagong proyekto ng pabahay ng pamahalaan kahapon sa lungsod na ito.
Pinangunahan ni Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario ang ceremonial turnover ng Ciudad de Strike Phase I, ang pinakabagong proyekto ng Social Housing Finance Corporation sa Barangay Molino 1, Bacoor City.
May kabuuang 1,440 units ang itatayo sa ilalim ng scheme, bahagi ng Community Mortgage Program ng SHFC, at makikinabang ang mga pamilyang nakatira sa mga danger zone sa buong Bacoor City.
Sa kanyang mensahe, binati ni Secretary Del Rosario ang mga benepisyaryo ng proyekto, sinabing maswerte silang nabigyan ng mga housing unit na tiyak na maipagmamalaki nila.
“Masasabi po natin para po sa inyo ang pinakamaganda at pinakamahalagang Christmas gift na maibibigay ng Bacoor City LGU. Na magkaroon kayo ng isang housing settlement na masasabi nating disente, affordable at sustainable. Ito po ang proyekto na subsidized housing na pinapairal ng national government with direct coordination with the LGU with a subsidized rate. Pinababa po namin nang husto ang interest rate dahil yan po ang utos ng ating mahal na Pangulo to ensure na tulungan ang ating mga kababayan 81% of Filipinos to have their own dream house,” ayon kay Del Rosario.
Binanggit din ni Del Rosario ang mga prinsipyo ng pabahay ng DHSUD na ang pabahay ay karapatan ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino, responsibilidad ng Departamento na bigyang kakayahan ang mga mahihirap na magkaroon ng access sa disente at abot-kayang pabahay, gayundin ang pagtiyak na walang sub-standard na proyektong pabahay na itatayo. sa ilalim ng administrasyong Duterte.
Dumalo rin sa okasyon sina SHFC President Arnolfo Ricardo Cabling, Cavite 2nd Representative Strike Revilla, Bacoor City Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla, iba pang lokal na opisyal at mga tatanggap ng housing units.
Nagpahayag ng pasasalamat sina Rep. Revilla at Mayor Mercado-Revilla sa administrasyong Duterte sa pamamagitan ng DHSUD, gayundin sa SHFC sa pagsasakatuparan ng proyekto.
Kabo ng jueteng, patay sa pamamaril
Lucena City, Quezon. Tinambangan at pinagbabaril ang isang kabo ng small town lotto (STL) sa Barangay Marketview, lungsod na ito.
Ang biktima ay kinilala ng Lucena PNP na si Abelma Paguio, 42 anyos, may asawa at residente ng Baranggay Barra sa nabanggit na lungsod.
Ayon sa paunang imbestigasyon ni Lucena Chief PNP Reynaldo Reyes, si Paguio ay naglalakad bandang 8:30 ng gabi ng siya ay harangin ng dalawang lalaking sakay sa motorsiklo at pagbabarilin ng backride nito.
Si Paguio, ayon sa ilang naninirahan sa pinangyarihan ng krimen, ay matagal ng kubrador ng jueteng at diumano ay malawak ang sakop ng pangungubra nito.
Naitakbo pa ng ilang bystander si Paguio sa St. Claire Hospital subalit idineklara itong dead on arrival.
Inaalam pa ng mga pulis ang motibo sa pagpatay.
Mukhang mani ngunit hindi mani
Ngayong year 2021, maraming bagong lingo ang kabataan na nababasa ko sa social media at ako ay napapanganga. Kung hindi tayo updated, gaya namin ni Myna, na malapit ng maging senior ay talagang mapapaisip kayo sa mga bagong salitang ito. Ilang halimbawa nito ang “Maritess” o mare, anong ang latest, “sakalam” o malakas, “awit” o aww sakit, “lodi” o idol, “petmalu” o malupit. Ah eh, at maraming iba pa.
Ganun pa man, ang mga kabataan ay marami ring salita na kailangang habulin sa ating mga plantitas at plantitos at magsasaka. Isang halimbawa nito ang halamang mani manian. Madalas akalain ng mga kabataan na ito ‘yong halamang mani na naglalaman ng peanut pods na nilalaga o inaabodo.
Ano nga ba ang halamang mani manian o golden glory, Arachis pintoi o Pinto Peanut? Ang scientific name nitong Arachis pintoi ay ipinangalan sa Brazilian botanist na si Geraldo Pinto. Mukhang mani ngunit hindi mani.
Ang halamang ito ay paboritong pagkain ng mga alaga nating hayop sa bukid gaya ng rabbit, manok, pabo, baboy, baka, kalabaw, kabayo, kambing, tilapia, hito at iba pang forage animals gaya ng chicken, turkey, pig, cow, hoarse, goat, tilapia at catfish. Mataas ang nitrogen fixing rate ng halamang ito. Ang high quality forage na mani manian ay may protein content na naglalaro sa pagitan ng 17% at 20%, at dry matter digestibility na nasa pagitan ng 67% at 71%.
Ang bulaklak nito ay edible at pwedeng gamitin na color ingredient sa mga soup at salad.
Isa sa mga bagong paborito ng mga landscape artist itong Arachis pintoi para sa mga home garden at landscape institutions, theme park, botanical garden, golf course, tabing daan, resort, pathway, at marami pa. Ayon kasi sa mga pag-aaral, pinabubuti ng Arachis ang kundisyon at fertility ng lupa. Mabilis itong kumalat kaya madaling natatakpan ang lupa at nakakatulong ito ng malaki sa pagkontrol ng soil erosion.
Mainam itong itanim sa mga dahilig na lugar sapagkat nakakatulong upang huwag gumuho ang lupa. Maganda din itong gamitin na ground cover sa landscape. Dahil mga tatlo o apat na linggo matapos itong sumibol ay namumulaklak na at buong taon na namumulaklak. Ideal na background ang mani manian field para sa mga prenuptial, anniversary at birthday pictorial.
Ang mga halaman ay kasama natin na nilikha ng Diyos. Ang mga ito ay may mahalagang ginagampanan sa biodiversity at sa ecosystem ng ating mundo. Mahalaga na maging mapanaliksik tayo at magdagdag ng kaalaman bilang pagpapahalaga sa inang kalikasan.
Sabi nga sa Genesis 9:3, bawa’t gumagalaw na nabubuhay ay magiging pagkain ninyo; gaya ng mga sariwang pananim na lahat ay ibinibigay ko sa inyo.
The key to everything good and beautiful
Just a few days from now and the entire christendom shall be celebrating the birth of Christ – the true reason for the season. But if you will notice, the celebration of his birth is very much commercialized nowadays not only here in the Philippines but in some other parts of the world. Instead of giving emphasis to why He came to this earth, commercial establishments see and use it as a perfect time to sell all sorts of novelty items ranging from clothes, shoes, bags, jewelries and other stuffs like lanterns, curtains, bedding and many more with colorful designs that will attract buyers.
Not only that. Even hotels, restaurants, fast food chains and resorts are busy advertising innovation so they can entice visitors. Some are giving away freebies to customers depending on the chosen accommodation. Nowhere in the malls will one find the portrait of Christ as depicted to us by the church, instead we will see the picture of Santa Clause and his reindeers, the star of Bethlehem and all sizes and colors of Christmas trees wrapped with flamboyant lights.
Christmas season is very good for business because everybody, save the poorest of the poor, are spending money to buy new things. I see nothing wrong celebrating the birth of Christ with revelries, songs and extravagant foods because it boosts the economy though it shows a great divide between the rich and the poor. The pompous celebration of the rich during Christmas is totally opposed to the coming of the Lord in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes.
I am not saying that we should wear rags and eat unpleasant bread. What I would like to impart is we should live a modest life and learn to share our blessings to the less fortunate because for me that is the true spirit of Christianity. Frowning upon the poor while living lavishly in comfort is atrocious and presumably a disgrace to humanity if not an abomination to the Lord.
I appreciate those who voluntarily set up pantries during the height of this pandemic to feed those who were trapped in their homes due to the lockdown imposed by the government and who subsequently lost their jobs. They showed the world that “giving and sharing is not seasonal” as contemplated by the people running St. Martin De Porres Kids Home at Brgy. Concepcion in San Pablo City. They are living exemplars of Christians whose works are worthy of emulation because they gladly share their time and skills to make the lives of abandoned and orphaned kids productive and useful every day of the year.
Because God is love, I guess love is the key to everything good and beautiful. As wisely stated in the old Filipino Christmas carol, “Ang pag-ibig pag s’yang naghari, araw-araw ay magiging pasko lagi.”
My Thoughts on 2021 The Game Awards
The Game Awards was founded by Geoff Keighley who is a prominent figure in the world of gaming as he brings together both game developers, celebrities, and as well as gamers to honor the games that have provided excellent stories, gameplay, and design.
This year, it was held last December 9, 2021, and it proved to be one of their stronger showings. You can definitely tell the improvement from last year. Last year’s awards was a slog and felt like it was biased towards one game. It didn’t feel like a celebration of gaming but more of a celebration of just one game. But for this year we got games that surprisingly won the category they are in and also games that deserved to win.
For example, I did not expect Metroid Dread to win the Best Action Adventure game award as it had fierce competition. I feel that it was really deserving of the award because it really brought that action and adventure genre in full display. Another surprise was that Guardians of the Galaxy won “Best Narrative” and that game also had fierce competition. This one actually surprised me as competitors like Psychonauts 2 had a better story to tell but based on what was mentioned, it was the performance of the actors in Guardians of the Galaxy that drove the narrative of the game. I have to agree that their performance was top notch. If I were to choose which one should have won the “Best Narrative” though, it would be Psychonauts 2 as it tackled a more adult story line but in a light hearted way.
The true surprise for me was the Game of the Year award winner. The 2021 Game of the Year Award went to “It Takes Two”. This was a game that I have not tried out, but would like to since it won the award. Looking into it through various media, they completely agree with the choice as the game expertly blended story, game design and creativity into a neat package that made it feel like a very unique and creative experience that every game should play. I bought the game the next day after the show and I also had one of my friends buy the game so we can play it and actually experience why the game won Game of the Year.
But among the other nominees: Deathloop, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Resident Evil: VIllage, Psychonauts 2 and Metroid Dread, I personally would have picked Psychonauts 2 as the Game of the Year. This game provided a perfect blend of creativity, story telling, game design and fun. Also, it was a game that I have wanted to happen since I was a kid. I guess nostalgia was also a factor into why I chose it as my Game of the Year.
The Game Awards is also not just about celebrating game achievements. It is also a place to announce new game titles that are coming in the future and also anything gaming related were featured in the show. Here are some of the highlights from the Game Awards:
1. Alan Wake 2 was announced and will be releasing in 2023. Now this has been a game that is a long time coming and I am pretty excited about it as this is Remedy’s first ever survival horror game. Remedy has been on a role with their games and I am excited to see their take on the survival horror genre. The first Alan Wake game was already creepy but Alan Wake 2 feels like it is taking it a step beyond creepy.
2. Cuphead: Delicious Last Course having a concrete release date of June 30,2022. Cuphead is one of those special indie games that got a really large following due to its unique graphical style. For those not familiar with Cuphead, it is a run and gun game that has a graphical style similar to the 1930’s cartoons. Each of the graphical frames were hand drawn exactly like how they did it back in the 1930s which is pretty cool and sounds quite extreme considering it is going to be used for a game. Cuphead: Delicious Last Course was announced years back and was originally going to release in 2020 but we haven’t heard back about it since then but through the Game Awards, we finally got a concrete release date.
3. Sonic Frontier for Holiday 2022. Now this game, I hope turns out really well as Sonic games quality had been mediocre, but this one sounds like they want to take their time with it and hope they can get it right as Sonic Frontier is the very first Open World game that Sonic will be in. I like the idea of an open world Sonic game. The mechanics of Sonic the hedgehog games will work pretty well in an Open World game once they determine what aspects to focus on. Not much is known about the game except for little bits of rumors and hearsay on the Internet that may or may not be true. The most famous rumor is that there was a focus group that got a chance to play the game and what they mentioned lines up with what was shown in the traile. The worrying part though is that they mentioned the game wasn’t exactly good. This is disappointing to hear but then again it is a rumor.
4. A Wonder Woman game being made by Monolith, the team behind the Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Mordor/War games. This one excites me a bit as I actually enjoy the Shadow of Mordor games. They bring something really creative and fun into the open world type of games. They are mostly known for creating the Nemesis system. The Nemesis system is this gameplay mechanic where if you kill specific enemies, they can come back and remember what you did to them. This can range from cowering in fear from your presence or they can be filled with spite and want to get revenge on you for whatever you did to them. It’s a pretty complex system but one that works pretty well. Now seeing that implemented into a Wonder Woman game will be very interesting and I would like to see what they can do with Wonder Woman’s move set as well.
5. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie gets a trailer with a premiere date of April 8,2022. This is a movie sequel that shouldn’t have happened. The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie was a miracle as it involved the studio, Paramount pictures actually listened to feedback and completely rehauled the design of Sonic from scratch. This is unheard of and is actually pretty cool of them to do that too. Instead of the abomination we were supposed to get from the first movie, we got a radically different design that closely resembles the actual character they are adapting. That movie did so well that I am glad it got a sequel and is proof that listening to feedback does help improve the final product.
Now for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie, the trailer was actually pretty good. It involved several aspects of the Sonic games now like the Master Emerald being shown off, Dr. Robotnik’s robot minions look like something from the games, Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik closely resembles the mad doctor from the games and the introduction of Tails and Knuckles into the movie. From what I can see, the plot is loosely based off the Sonic & Knuckles game which is considered to be one of the best Sonic games of all time. I look forward to watching this movie when it releases.
It is worth noting that Nintendo did not announce anything this year. They usually have at least one announcement, but it looks like they decided to skip this year. One suggestion I would like to see them do is that when they announce the Best Music Award, that they invite the actual orchestra that played the music to perform during the show.
This year’s Best Music Award winner NieR: Replicant. This game had a stellar soundtrack and deserved to be heard by all the viewers and attendees of the award. It is a shame that people didn’t get to see them perform.
The Game Award did end on a very bright and funny note with Josef Fares accepting the award for “It Takes Two’s” Game of the Year award. Josef Fares is also known as the “F*** the Oscars” guy meme and has a very unique way of explaining things he is working on. It is always a highlight of the Game Awards to see him on stage. But so glad this time it was for him to accept an award.
