Taguig hotlines

The new Taguig website is up, and it's got a listing of the hotlines each Taguig citizen must know. The most important ones for me are:

Fire Department - 542-3695/642-9982
PNP Taguig - 642-2060 (aside from 171, of course)
Police Taguig Mobile Patrol - 640-7046
Taguig Rescue Unit - 994-7538

Let's hope the numbers really work :)

Dario Argento to be honored in Cinemanila 2011

Courtesy of Cinemanila 2011

It appears that apart from La Aunor, there will be another Lifetime Achievement awardee during this year's Cinemanila 2011. Here's the latest from the organizers:

Master of Horror Dario Argento to be Honored with Cinemanila's Lifetime Achievement Award on 11 11 11
  The 2011 Cinemanila International Film Festival, in cooperation with the City of Taguig, will honor Dario Argento, Italian film director, producer and screenwriter, with the Lifetime Achievement Award on 11 11 11, during the festival’s Opening Night. Argento, 71, is best known for his work in the horror genre, particularly in the subgenre known as giallo (Italian for ‘yellow’, or more precisely, ‘thriller’), and for his influence on modern horror and slasher movies. Argento is also known as the Italian Hitchcock.
 His more popular works include the international hit The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), the surreal horror film Suspiria (1977), and the violent mystery-thriller Deep Red (1975), considered by many critics as the best giallo ever made, and which inspired many film directors, such as John Carpenter, to work in the genre. Suspiria will be screened during the festival among Argento’s other films. Other notable credits include the spaghetti western classic, Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) (story), and the cult zombie film, George Romero's Dawn of Dead (1978) (producer). More recent works include Trauma (1993), The Stendhal Syndrome (1996), and The Phantom of the Opera (1998) (all of which featured his daughter Asia, an accomplished actor and filmmaker in her own right). Previous recipients of the Cinemanila Lifetime Achievement Award include, to name a few, US filmmakers Quentin Tarantino (2007) and Paul Schrader (2009), Indonesian actress and filmmaker Christine Hakim (2003), film programmers Aruna Vasudev and Philip Cheah (2006), and Pusan International Film Festival founding director Kim Dong Ho (2005). Aside from these personalities, other special guests who graced Cinemanila in the past include Jafar Panahi (The Circle, 2000) and Fernando Meirelles (City of God, 2002).

For those, like me, who aren't familiar with Mr. Argento's works, follow this link to his Wikipedia page and this link to IMDB. 

Parco Supermarket in Taguig

In an earlier post, I pointed out that apart from Metro Gaisano located within Market! Market! and S&R Membership Shopping, there appears to be a dearth of groceries in Taguig.

Unbeknownst to me (and many thanks to Ryan, one of the visitors of my blog who pointed it out to me), Parco Supermarket opened in Gen. Luna St., Ususan, Taguig last December 2010. Here's how Parco Supermarket describes itself in its website:

A few steps away from your doorway. A few pesos cheaper than your other supermarket. A few feet more elbow room. A few more choices than your typical grocery store. A few days fresher than your wet market vendor. A few rides more convenient. A few more smiles. A few more extra miles to serve you better. 

At Parco Supermarket, we don't like to toot our own horn. We're not a huge company or part of a conglomerate out to rule the world. We're a simple family-run business just trying to take a few extra steps to make your shopping experience a little less painful and a little more convenient.

So look out your window. We're that little store around the corner. Come on over. You're always welcome here.

I set out last Sunday to find out where exactly Parco is so I could check it out. The good news is, there's ample parking.

The grocery is mid-sized, approximately the size of a typical Rustan's Expresslane grocery. Unlike Rustan's, however, it doesn't target the A-B crowd.  However, it does have all the usual goods for everyday needs. Plus, the aisles are fairly wide and when I went last Sunday, it wasn't crowded. Maybe it's because it wasn't a payday weekend?

It even has a fresh fruits, vegetables and meat section though the selection wasn't that extensive.

This, together with the soon-to-open Puregold Taguig, will help serve Taguig's 613,343 residents (as of the 2007 census, so this should be way bigger now) so that Metro Gaisano Supermarket doesn't get too crowded, especially on weekends.

I am, however, still holding out for an SM Hypermart/Waltermart-type grocery in OBGC (or Outside Bonifacio Global City) Taguig.  C'mon guys, hurry up and set up shop here in Taguig!

More from Cinemanila 2011

Here's the latest from the organizers of Cinemanila 2011 which will be held in Taguig City starting November 11, 2011.

Courtesy of Cinemanila 2011

Superstar Nora Aunor to Receive Cinemanila’s Lifetime Achievement Award on 11 11 11
The 2011 Cinemanila International Film Festival, in cooperation with the City of Taguig, will pay tribute to one of the Philippines' most accomplished actresses, Nora Aunor (born Nora Cabaltera Villamayor on May 21, 1955 in Iriga City, Camarines Sur), by bestowing her with the Lifetime Achievement Award on 11 11 11, during the festival’s Opening Night. Aunor is popularly regarded as the Superstar for her stellar achievements and enormous contribution -- as actor, singer, TV host, and producer -- to the entertainment industry. 

As part of the homage to the multi-awarded Aunor, a short video tribute will be shown during the presentation of the award. And throughout the festival, Cinemanila will screen (with English subtitles) classic films showcasing Aunor's legendary acting talent, including Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos (1976), Minsa'y Isang Gamu-Gamo (1976), Bona (1980), and Himala (1982), winner in 2008 of the CNN APSA (Asia Pacific Screen Awards) Viewers Choice Award for Best Asia-Pacific Film of all Time.
Indeed, Nora Aunor is a world-class artist as shown by the list of international organizations which gave her a Best Actress award, including the Cairo Film Festival (The Flor Contemplacion Story, 1995), East Asia Film and Television Festival (Bakit May Kahapon Pa?, 1997), Brussels Festival of Independent Films (Naglalayag, 2004). She was also nominated in the Berlin Film Festival for Himala and awarded the Certificate of Honor in the Cannes Film Festival for Bona.

With the Cinemanila Lifetime Achievement Award, Aunor will join an exceptional group of individuals who received the same award, such as US filmmakers Quentin Tarantino (2007) and Paul Schrader (2009), Indonesian actress and filmmaker Christine Hakim (2003), film programmers Aruna Vasudev and Philip Cheah (2006), Pusan International Film Festival founding director Kim Dong Ho (2005), and fellow Filipino artists Vilma Santos (2003), Eddie Romero (2004) & Dolphy (2010). Aside from these personalities, other special guests who graced Cinemanila in the past include Jafar Panahi (The Circle, 2000) and Fernando Meirelles (City of God, 2002).
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The 2011 Cinemanila International Film Festival will be held from November 11 to 17, 2011 at the Market! Market! Cinemas in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City. Around 50 international and local films will be screened in a span of 7 days, from the current toasts of the local indie scene to the award-winners and favorites of prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Rotterdam, Sundance, and Pusan. The festival will also feature workshops, seminars, and master classes. For more info, or jpegs for a release, please contact cinemanila.press@gmail.com and cinemanila@gmail.com or go to www.cinemanila.org.ph.

Did you know that Ate Guy has her own IMDB page?

Cinemanila 2011 in Taguig

Poster courtesy of Cinemanila

From November 11-17, 2011, Taguig will be hosting the 13th Cinemanila International Film Festival. Venue is at Market! Market! Cinemas, Bonifacio Global City. Among the highlights will be the conferment of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Nora Aunor.

I will post more details as these become available.  In the meantime, check out Cinemanila's website,  Facebook page and follow it's twitter account @CinemanilaIFF.

Plant a tree!

Haribon recently launched its Road to 2020 campaign, which "aims to plant native trees to restore 1 million hectares of forests in the Philippines by year 2020."

For as little as Php 100 pesos, you can support Haribon's reforestation activities in, among others, the Caliraya Watershed in Laguna.

For more details, go to Haribon's website, or, better yet, read Kay Malilong Isberto's blog, The Journey of Pure Light: How to adopt a seedling.

Newsbreak article about the Cayetano-Brillantes war

Newsbreak writes about an offshoot of the electoral protest filed by Justice Dante Tinga against Mayor Lani Cayetano: the appointment of Sixto Brillantes (Tinga's former lawyer) as COMELEC chairman has to go through the Commission on Appointments, of which Senator Alan Cayetano, Mayor Lani's husband, is one of the members --> All about Taguig: The Cayetano-Brillantes war | Newsbreak | Independent Journalism

TLC

According to this report by the Daily Tribune, the local government of Taguig recently launched its Taguig Learners Certificate ("TLC") program. TLC aims to decongest the public school system by transferring deserving first year high school students (numbering 1,500) to private high schools also located in Taguig. The tuition fees will be shouldered by the local government.

GMA NewsTV already featured TLC in its Good News program. Pasok Vicky Morales:


For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

Know your Public Servants Part 2: Congressmen

Taguig City is divided into 2 districts.

The 1st District is composed of Bagumbayan, Bambang, Calzada, Hagonoy, Ibayo-Tipas, Ligid-Tipas, Lower Bicutan, New Lower Bicutan, Napindan, Palingon, San Miguel, Santa Ana, Tuktukan, Ususan and Wawa.

Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives website

The elected Congressman for the 1st district is Arnel M. Cerafica. Do visit his profile from the website of the House of Representatives. He is apparently on his first term but has authored 3 bills and co-authored 40 other bills. Notably, he is pushing for the establishment of a district hospital for the 1st district. I've been living in Taguig for about a year and a half and the only hospital I know here is St. Luke's, which is inside Fort Bonifacio. So this should be a good thing, if the bill ever passes. As a resident of the 1st District, however, I have yet to hear or see of any project (of the pork barrel kind) from the good Congressman. Must research more.

The 2nd District, on the other hand, is composed of Central Bicutan, Central Signal Village, Katuparan, Maharlika Village, North Daang Hari, North Signal Village, Pinagsama, South Daang Hari, South Signal Village, Tanyag, Upper Bicutan, Western Bicutan and Taguig's most famous and affluent barangay, Fort Bonifacio.

Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives website

The elected Congressman for the 2nd district is Sigfrido "Dante" R. Tinga, who was the former mayor of Taguig. His profile can be found here. While also on his first term, he has been busier than his counterpart in the 1st district, having already authored 23 bills. Notably, he is asking for the creation of 10 additional Regional Trial Courts for Taguig and 4 Metropolitan Trial Courts. He likewise appears to be positioning himself as a champion of local film and music industry, as seen by his bills proposing tax breaks and incentives for these groups.

At last!

Finally, after 1 year and 2 months in office, Mayor Lani Cayetano finally unveiled the new Taguig website:

Unfortunately, none of the links work just yet. So, we basically have the main page and that's it. But there's supposedly a Facebook and Twitter account, and information about Taguig, its financials, special programs, tourism and other news. It looks like it will be complying with the Citizen-Centric Website Development Guide issued by the Commission on Information & Communications Technology  on  the general guidelines to be observed by a local government unit in designing it's website as discussed in a post I made last November 2010.

Considering, however, that it took more than a year to put up the main page, I'm not holding my breath for the other features. But hey, it's a start.

How Taguig Fared in PCIJ's Audit of Access to Information

Recently, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism ("PCIJ") " deployed seven college student interns who filed requests for six major types of documents, including the asset disclosure records of the LGU officials, as well as the budget and development plans of the LGU. The audit also focused on documents pertaining to education, health, public safety, civil registry and property, and doing business." The subjects of the audit were the 17 local governments of Quezon City, Manila, Marikina, Paranaque, Pasay, Navotas, Malabon, Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, San Juan, Valenzuela, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa, Pateros, Caloocan and of course,  Taguig.

The requests fell mostly on deaf ears. Taguig complied fully with only 28.57% of the information requests, albeit still ranking higher than Malabon, Valenzuela, San Juan, Manila, Pateros and Caloocan. Taguig was also cited for being amongst the LGUs which failed to supply the SALN, or Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth of its local officials. In addition, the PCIJ had this to say about Taguig: 

Political rivalry also got in the way of accessing documents in Taguig. Majority of the requests were denied there supposedly because the documents had to be kept “confidential” on account of an ongoing court case between Mayor Laarni Cayetano and her losing rival in the May 2010 elections, retired Supreme Court justice Dante Tinga.

Only the documents from Taguig’s BPLO, the Assessor’s Office, and the City Health Department were provided. Requests filed with the Mayor’s Office, the Public Safety and Order Office (POSO), and the City Budget Office were not granted within the 15-working day deadline set in law.

Here's the link to the full PCIJ report: Part 1 and Part 2.

Makati-Taguig dispute

Fort Bonifacio, Makati City. Does that sound better to you?


Did you know that Fort Bonifacio, among other barangays, is part of a bitter tug-of-war  between Makati and Taguig? In 1993, Taguig filed an action  for judicial confirmation of its territory and boundary limits against Makati, Teofisto P. Guingona in his capacity as Executive Secretary, Angel Alcala in his capacity as Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Abelardo Palad, Jr. in his capacity as Director of the Land Management Bureau.  The complaint was raffled to the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Pasig, Branch 153, and was docketed as Civil Case No. 63896.


Nearly twenty years and at least two Supreme Court cases (G.R. No. 163175, 27 June 2008 and G.R. No. 168781 14 September 2007)  later, it appears that RTC-Pasig finally issued a decision. From the looks of things, it appears that it was in favor of Taguig. Now, Makati has asked the Court of Appeals to nullify said ruling, claiming, among others, that the decision was issued after Judge Briccio Ygana retired.


Abangan!

Taguig City Facebook page

It looks like there is a new Facebook page for Taguig City, called I Love Taguig.

It contains updates on the latest projects of Mayor Lani Cayetano. Maybe it can serve as an alternative, at least until the official Taguig website is up and running. Let's check it out!

P.S. Mayor Lani, when do we get an official Taguig website? It would be nice to have the names and contact particulars of our mayor, vice-mayor, councilors, congressmen, barangay officials, and the hotlines of all the police and fire stations and government hospitals in Taguig.

Water lilies clean-up in Taguig

GMA News, in cooperation with the AFP and MMDA, did a clean-up of a portion of the Taguig river, ridding it of water hyacinths. See feature below:


For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

Tinga v. Cayetano: It's on!

According to ABSCBN News, the Supreme Court just ordered COMELEC to proceed with the recount in Taguig.

v. 

Taguig lights up

The city government announced that it has lighted up the 7.2km stretch of C-6:

The local government on Thursday evening launched the second and final phase of the 3.7-kilometer Circumferential Road No.6 (C-6) Light Restoration Project thereby completing the lighting of the whole stretch of the 7.2-kilometer highway.

“We expect the lighting of C-6, from Napindan all the way to Lower Bicutan, to enhance the complete view of Laguna Lake and prevent road accidents,” Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano said during the launching.

Cayetano said the first phase of the lighting project held last March 25 covered the first 3.5 kilometers of the Road Dike from Barangay Napindan to Bay Breeze.

The length of C-6 covers Barangays San Miguel, Sta. Ana, Calsada, Napindan, Bambang, Hagonoy, Ibayo Tipas, Palingon, Wawa, and New Lower Bicutan in Taguig.

For those who aren't familiar with C-6, it's supposed to connect the SLEX with the NLEX via this route--SLEX -> Taguig--Angono, Rizal--Antipolo, Rizal--San Mateo, Rizal--Rodriguez(Montalban), Rizal--San Jose del Monte, Bulacan-->NLEX. I don't think the whole route is finished, but Taguig to Antipolo should be passable by now. I found a blog with pictures of the highway, as well as a nice discussion over at the Skyscraper city forum.

Back to Taguig though, it appears that the lighting project didn't end at C-6, as the following other areas reportedly got the same benefit: 

Paso Street, Bagumbayan; A. Bonifacio, Upper Bicutan; Western Bicutan, Service Road; Signal Village (Ballecer Street to PC Road); Bayani Road, AFPOVAI; MRT Avenue (left and right sides); Barangay Bagumbayan (Mauling Creek to Adia), and Gen. Santos Avenue (left and right sides), Jollibee to DOST.

Maharlika Road and Mindanao Road; Barangay Pinagsama (Water Fun) Rongo Street, Ballecer; Barangay Wawa (Deva to Kentucky); Palar Tunnel to Water Fun Tunnel; Pedro Cayetano Boulevard and other locations in Western Bicutan, Lower Bicutan, Tuktukan, Napindan and Ibayo Tipas.

Kudos!

Word for the day: Liquefaction

In a report filed by the Philippine Star last 24 March 2011, Phivolcs director  Renato Solidum, Jr. warned that several areas in Metro Manila, including Taguig, are prone to liquefaction.


Liquefaction, according to Wikipedia, refers to the process by which saturated, unconsolidated sediments are transformed into a substance that acts like a liquid.In the Philippine Star article, liquefaction is described as the process by which wet sediment starts to behave like liquid. It purportedly occurs because of the increased pore pressure and reduced effective stress between solid particles generated by the presence of liquid and is often caused by severe shaking, especially that associated with earthquakes.


A day later, the local government of Taguig identified 3 areas - Fort Bonifacio, Signal Village and Brgy. Pinagsama - where the soil is purportedly in "clay form" and thus, prone to liquefaction. According to the report, the information dissemination was done through the distribution of "leaflets". Meanwhile, Taguig's revamped website is up, sort of, with only the main page viewable. No mention of liquefaction there, even under the "News" or "Events" tab. It does, however, have a video of Nonito Donaire's visit to the city. Talk about priorities.

Because the Taguig website is so helpful, I searched for and found a video from GMA News, shown in 2010, where director Solidum explained the risk of liquefaction:

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV


In a follow-up report, Philippine Star has now identified Taguig City's "rescue chief" as Ronald Galicia. And in fairness,  the local government has apparently obtained a map from Phivolcs to help them identify other areas in Taguig which may be prone to liquefaction.  Taguig plans to conduct disaster risk reduction seminars in these areas.  

McKinley Hill v. Palar?

It looks like the sewage treatment plant of Megaworld's McKinley Hill was wreaking havoc on residents of the neighboring, less affluent, Palar. Good thing the city government stepped in.


For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

Who gets FTI?

View Larger Map


According to its website, Food Terminal Incorporated (FTI) is one of the largest industrial complexes in Metro Manila. The Agro- Industrial-Commercial Estate was envisioned to trigger the entry of private entrepreneurs at the vast leaseable portions of the FTI site and to create a conducive business atmosphere essential to the development of the complex.


Last month, Robinson's Land Corporation (RLC) submitted an unsolicited proposal for the acquisition of 103 hectares of the FTI property. The reports did not specify the actual amount of the bid submitted by RLC. Today, it was reported that Andrew Tan's Empire East Land Holdings, Inc.  offered to acquire the same property for Php 14 Billion.


Will the other developers get into the act? Who will win? Wonder what kind of development the winning bidder will put up - I'm putting my money on a mixed-use development with residential and commercial components. Hey, anything which will lead to developments outside Fort Bonifacio would be very welcome.

DMCI in Taguig

As you may well know, DMCI has a lot of projects all over Metro Manila. In Taguig, it has what it calls Acacia Estates - composed of 7 subdivisions: Rosewood Pointe, Royal Palm Residences and Cedar Crest, with mid-rise and high-rise buildings, Mahogany Place 1, 2 and 3 and Spring Lane Homes, with mostly single-detached homes and townhouses.

There are also other projects outside Acacia Estates which are located nearby.

DMCI projects have received generally good reviews from buyers and investors, specially with respect to build quality and timely turnover.  However, its biggest challenge appears to be in property management which the company does not have any experience or expertise in. As a result, homeowners have gone to the internet - with a host of threads in various message boards as well as Facebook pages  -  in a bid to gain a sense of community and to try to improve the services being rendered by current property managers. See, for example, the Facebook page put up by residents of  Riverfront Residences and Royal Palm Residences (both in Taguig) as well as threads dedicated to Dansalan Gardens and Tivoli Gardens (in Mandaluyong) over at skyscrapercity.com. This threads will give prospective buyers an idea of the frustrations currently being experienced by the residents of these communities.

In addition, unlike its competitors Ayala Land. and Megaworld, DMCI's project do not normally have a commercial areas built in and are purely residential. In Taguig, for example, DMCI has so far refrained from building a mini-mall (similar to SM's Hypermart or Waltermart) within or just outside Acacia Estates, to take advantage of the growing number of residents in the area.

Update on Christmas gift bomb

I'm sure everyone has heard of the tragic death of a business woman in Taguig, who died after a grenade placed inside a gift box exploded while she was opening it.

Here's an update from GMA News on the Christmas gift bomb:


For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

And here's another report from QTV:


For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

One stop shop for business permits

According to reports from the Inquirer, Taguig intends to set up a one-stop-shop for business permits. Based on said reports, the move is  intended to encourage owners to comply with city government regulations in operating businesses by expediting the process. The one-stop-shop, which is set to open on 3 January 2011, will be located at the city's Auditorium.