Tuesday, July 31, 2012

DENR and Bunawan Gov't Fight Over Lolong

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje mentioned his plan of transferring the 20-foot crocodile named Lolong to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City. The DENR Secretary said that he plans to place Lolong to the 7-hectare lagoon inside the wildlife center. Paje already ordered Parks and Wildlife Bureau Director Mundita Lim to take photos of the park, which will be used in convincing Bunawan government leaders and residents to give up Lolong.

Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center has a total area of 22.7 hectares. The wildlife center is the place where snakes, birds, lizards and other wild animals found in Metro Manila are taken care of. Paje believes that the wildlife center’s 7-hectare lagoon is a much better place for Lolong than the 800-square meter pen in Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center.
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Lagoon inside Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center where Lolong is planned to be placed.
The lagoon inside Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center.

Secretary Paje also declared Lolong as the Philippines’ new “ambassador for conservation.” DENR will use Lolong to raise awareness on the need to protect the environment and biodiversity.

Bunawan Mayor Edwin Elorde vehemently opposed the plan of the DENR Secretary. He said that he need to consult the residents of Bunawan before they can decide on the issue. He also said that the DENR is yet to inform them of the plan to transfer Lolong.
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Lolong taking a bath
Lolong taking a bath.

Mayor Elorde said that Lolong eco-tourism in the CARAGA Region is at its peak due to the capture of Lolong. The transfer of Lolong will have negative effect to the tourism in the region.

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Information for this post obtained from Philippine Star and Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Jollibee Birthday Party Package Price

Planning a Jollibee birthday party will never be easy if you do not know how much money you have to spend. Jollibee knows this that is why Jollibee created the Party Planner to help mommies and daddies in planning the best Jollibee birthday party for their children. The party planner is easy to use. You need to click a few times on your mouse and, poof, you get the estimate of Jollibee birthday package price.

If you are type who does not want to use Jollibee’s party planner but want to have an idea of the Jollibee birthday package price, then this article is for you. Here is detailed information on how much money you need to spend for a simple Jollibee birthday party.

Take note that the party items in this article consist only of the Jollibee food package and a medium-sized chocolate or mocha cake. I did not include other party add-ons like additional Jollibee mascots and loot bags. The party fee 1,250 pesos, which provides 20 pieces game prices, 10 boxes of crayons, 30 pieces balloons, 1 guest book and the appearance of Jollibee.

The cost estimate for this article is for Jollibee party with 30 guests.

Here is the Jollibee birthday party package price for Food Package A:
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Jollibee Birthday Party Package Price - food package A


Here is the Jollibee birthday party package price for Food Package B:
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Jollibee Birthday Party Package Price - food package B


Here is the Jollibee birthday party package price for Food Package C:
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Jollibee Birthday Party Package Price - food package C


Here is the Jollibee birthday party package price for Food Package D:
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Jollibee Birthday Party Package Price - food package D


I did not include the “Create Your Own Food Package”. Price on this package depends on how you customized it.

The least expensive Jollibee party package is the one with Food Package A. The most expensive is Food Package D that has spaghetti, Jollibee Chickenjoy, softdrinks, chocolate sundae and French fries.

See the Jollibee party package brochure to know more about throwing a party at Jollibee.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

How to Enroll Your BPI Trade Account to BPIExpressOnline

I said in a previous post how a book authored by Bo Sanchez convinced me to invest in the Philippine Stock Exchange. The name of that book is “My Maid Invests in the Stock Market…”

I discovered that I am not the only one who is interested in the stock exchange. Many of my officemates are already playing in the stock exchange. Some of them chose the risky trading in exchange for short term income. The other group of Philippine Stock Exchange players wants minimum investment risk. The latter group of investors thinks more about the long term benefit. I joined the “minimum risk” group because the money that I will earn from my investments will go to my retirement fund.

Fortunately, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has a website that is for exclusive use of those who play in the Philippine Stock Exchange. This website or portal is the BPI Trade. The good thing with BPI Trade is that it can be connected to a BPIExpressOnline account. This makes funding my BPI Trade account easy.

Connecting or enrolling your BPI Trade account to your BPIExpressOnline account is easy. Here are the steps:

1. Log-in to your BPI Trade account. Go to your “Portfolio” and copy your “Settlement Account” number.
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BPIExpressOnline - BPI Trade settlement account number


2. Log-in to your BPIExpressOnline account.

3. Click on “My Portfolio” and then click “Enroll Additional Accounts”.
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Enroll new accounts in BPIExpressOnline

4. Choose “Other Accounts” and click the “Continue Button”.
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BPIExpressOnline account enrolment

5. Check “Other Deposit Accounts” and type in your BPI Trade Settlement Account number on the number “1” field.
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Settlement account number input at BPIExpressOnline

6. The Confirmation Page will appear. Just wait for the email message that will be sent out by BPI Trade confirming the activation of your enrollment.
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BPIExpressOnline confirmation page


I just finished the enrollment of my BPI Trade account to BPIExpressOnline. It is easy! I am so excited to invest some of my savings.

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Don't you still have a BPIExpressOnline account. Read my post on how to apply to BPIExpressOnline.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Videos of Lolong the Giant Buwaya

Lolong is the largest crocodile as declared by National Geographic and Guinness Book of World Record. Because of this, the giant buwaya or crocodile caught a lot of attention from international and local media. Newspapers and news website have articles for Lolong.

With all the “fame” that Lolong got it is not surprising that a lot of people caught him on camera. Here is one video from ABS-CBN:
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This video shows Lolong bound from head to tail as he is transferred to his litter. The ropes ensured that Lolong will not eat up his captors.

Here is another video which shows Lolong being put into a sedation:
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The sedation was done inside Lolong’s cage in Bunawan Nature Park.

Another video shows what happened during the visit of Guiness Book of World Record Team to Bunawan. The team measured Lolong so as to confirm his length. Here is the video:
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Another video came from GMA Channel’s 24 Hours (Bente Kwatro Oras) news program:
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Lolong is really large! People are torn if this crocodile should resume its captivity or be released to Agusan Marsh, which is the natural home of crocodiles in the town of Bunawan. What do you think? Is it right to release Lolong?

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

A Tool for Easier Film Production Management


Many moviegoers do not understand how movies are made. Some of them only think of what they saw during the two hours or more of the show. What they do not understand is the lot of process that movies go through before they are delivered to the theatres and movie houses. What is shown in movie houses is just a very small portion of movie making, which can last for many months.

Excellent movies are not made in a fortnight. It took months of conceptualization, planning and the actual filming. Then comes the tedious part of post-production, which is much longer than the actual shooting of the film. Making movies is complicated that’s why many movie producers turn to film production app to ease their worries.

Film production app is a tool being used for the management of film production. There are many kinds of film production apps but the most modern or most high-tech are the cloud based film production management tools or apps. Cloud-based film production app helps film producers in hiring movie crews, cast talents and search for suitable shoot locations. It also helps scheduling film production and organizing the different teams working on the film. In short, cloud-based film production app is a multi-purpose tool that makes the life of movie producer easier.

Visit this film making blog to know more about the cloud-based film production app. All kinds of movie producers will get a lot of information from that blog.

If you are an independent film producer or a producer from a multi-million dollar studio, I suggest that you check the cloud-based film production app. Maybe this tool is what you need to improve your movie making process.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

JRS Express Rates for Letters

Our office sends a lot of letters not only within Metro Manila but all throughout the Philippines. Our letters even reaches the remote areas in Luzon and Mindanao. The letters that we send is of great importance both to our office and our clients. That is why the letters that our office sends must reach our clients in the fastest time possible.

Our office patronizes LBC for sending its letters and package. One time, an officemate decided to send one of our letters through the JRS Express. My officemate was surprised when he discovered that JRS Express rates are much cheaper than the rates of LBC for delivery of letters. We are also surprised when our client sent a message the next day telling us that he already received the letter and documents that he required.

The relatively cheap JRS Express rates and the quick delivery of our letter made us the new loyal customer of JRS Express.
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JRS Express rates - logo of JRS Express


The JRS Express rates depend on the origin and the destination of the letter or document. Thus, the rate of sending letter from Luzon to Visayas is different from the rate of sending the same letter from Luzon to Mindanao.

Here are the JRS Express rates for letters:

Express Letter from Luzon or Metro Manila to Luzon: 90 Pesos.
Express Letter from Luzon or Metro Manila to Visayas: 95 Pesos.
Express Letter from Luzon or Metro Manila to Mindanao: 98 Pesos.
Express Letter from Visayas to Luzon: 95 Pesos.
Express Letter from Visayas to Visayas: 90 Pesos.
Express Letter from Visayas to Mindanao: 95 Pesos.
Express Letter from Mindanao to Luzon: 98 Pesos.
Express Letter from Mindanao to Visayas: 95 Pesos.
Express Letter from Mindanao to Mindanao: 90 Pesos.

Take note that the rates given here are for Express Letter only. Express Letter is the “next day” service for letters and documents. Also, the rates are only applicable for letters or documents that weigh 100 grams or less.

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Read my blog post about an incident where LBC charged so much for a two pages of Cebu Pacific ticket print-out.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Hunt for Croc Bigger than Lolong is On


The crowning of Lolong as the Guinness Book of World Records’ largest crocodile in captivity made the people of the town of Bunawan more motivated to capture a much larger crocodile. 

The officials of Barangay Nueva Era, which is led by Chairman Teofanies Adlanes, passed a barangay resolution on December 2011 and another resolution last April 16, 2012 to fast track the hunt for crocodiles that are larger than Lolong.
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(Source: Wikipedia)

Large Buwaya Stalking a Carabao

The barangay resolutions were made after residents reported seeing a large crocodile in the vicinity. Residents reported that a large crocodile chased a carabao at Magsagangsang Creek, which is the place where Lolong was caught. Magsagangsang Creek is within the Agusan Marsh.

Residents fear for their lives. The attack to a carabao prompted them to send letters to their barangay and municipal officials.

The Parks and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-PAWB) said that their survey teams did not saw any crocodiles larger than Lolong within the Agusan Marsh. The DENR officials warned the Bunawan residents from capturing crocodiles inside the Marsh because it is against the law.

Another Guinness Record

If the claims of Bunawan residents are true, then there is a possibility that Lolong will be dethroned. All they need to do is to capture the large crocodile and present it to the officials of Guinness. Bunawan will be popular again. The downside is that capturing crocodiles of the Agusan Marsh will affect the delicate biodiversity of the marsh.

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Sources: Manila Bulletin and Balita.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Thumbs Down for Jollibee's Crisscut Fries

I said in the previous post that I want to taste the Crisscut Fries and chocolate-flavored Float of Jollibee. Well, I finally got the chance to taste the two new items on Jollibee menu. The verdict is that I did not like them.

Crisscut Fries is a weird looking potato fries. The potatoes were not cut in strips like in the usual French fries. It was cut to look like hash browns. The hash-brown-wanna-be fries were then sprinkled with either cheese or sour cream.

Fried potatoes taste good if they are served hot. Jollibee’s Crisscut Fries was as cool as room temperature when it reached our table. The cut potato is also soggy. The worst thing is that I tasted one potato that is stale. The stale potato tasted terrible so I am forced to spit it out of my mouth.

The coldness of the Crisscut Fries sent an impression that it is not popular to Jollibee’s customers. The Crisscut Fries were cooked, in anticipation that people will order them, but just sat on the line getting cold. Jollibee’s Crisscut Fries is terrible. I hope that Jollibee will remove this item from the Jollibee menu.
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Chocolate Float and Crisscut Fries from Jollibee menu
Jollibee's Chocolate Float and Crisscut Fries.

Chocolate-flavored Jollibee Float has no soft drink and that surprised me. This float has chocolate Sundae placed on chocolate drink. The chocolate-flavored Jollibee Float is just Chucky or Chocolait with Sundae. This float is a good alternative for those who are avoiding soft drinks.

The new items on Jollibee menu received a thumb down from me. The novelty of Crisscut Fries is OK but Jollibee should have ensured that it tastes good so that customers will not be horrified by it.