Manila Water 2009 Tariff Rates Increase

I was shocked to see that our March 2009 Manila Water Bill increased by roughly 12% when our consumption had relatively stayed the same. (Feb 2009 consumption was 216 cubic meters while March 2009 was 219 cubic meters). So I promptly called Manila Water’s hot line to ask what was going on and they said that the Tariff Rates for 2009 was approved.  (Later on, I found this Business Mirror article on the approval).

I queried the customer service representative about which government agency approved the tariff rate increase. Meralco needs approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) before they can increase their bill’s prices before She said she’d need to check on that and put me on hold for about five minutes. When she finally got back, she informed me that the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) was one of the agencies involved.

It is funny how I happened to read the following paragraphs from the link above which points me to two articles, one written by Mia Gonzalez (‘No water-rate hike without Palace OK’) and the other written by Honey Madrilejos-Reyes (Manila Water hikes rates). The first article states…

THE announcement by Manila Water of an increase in the February billings has caused some confusion after Malacañang officials separately told reporters the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) cannot approve any water-rate hike with-out  obtaining proper “guidance” from President Arroyo, who had earlier instructed them not to allow any rate increase this year.

The second article writes…

In an advisory issued on Thursday, the listed water company said its CPI, or the adjustments based on inflation, will go up by 12.2 percent, while its FCDA, which allows the company to recover foreign-exchange losses, will be adjusted by 1.03 percent.

Both increases were approved and confirmed by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSSRO) in separate resolutions dated February 3, 2009.

Which brings me now to the question “Who really approved the tariff rates increase?” Was it NEDA or is MWSSRO? MWSS was split into Maynilad and Manila Water which might mean that MWSS is in a sense, self-regulating. They dictate whatever prices they want and consumers can either take it or not consume water at all.

I tried calling up NEDA to ask if they were responsible for such an approval and was given the run around. (Called up the following numbers – 9268731, 9288419, 4335899, 6313757, 6389108, 6312192). Those who answered were saying that the approval was either not their responsibility or had no idea whose approval was necessary. They either specialized on tariff rates on import/export or other matters.

So if you’re wondering why your Manila Water Bill suddenly increased by a tremendous amount, the short answer is Manila Water increased prices. Makes you wonder though who is really responsible for the approval, and what necessitates the increase.

Ikariam Pillory

Ever wonder why a certain player got banned? Maybe you yourself have been banned from the game. A ban can be temporary (several days) or permanently. The reasons for the ban can be found in the pillory. Here are some of the reasons for being banned, and my own interpretation of why these necessitate a ban.

We will need some volunteers to facilitate the interpretation of the scenarios, namely,  Player A, Player B and a Gaming Official (GO).

Bashing

Player A attacks a single town of Player B at least 7 times in a 24 hour period and both players are not in an alliance war. As long as Player A’s attacks are successful, these are included in the count. If Player B successfully defends against an attack, it will not count. Both land and sea battles are included in the count.

Bug Using

GOs find out that Player A has been using a bug in the game. For example, Player A discovers a way to generate tons of gold but the developers did not intend this method to be part of game play. Player A will gain an unfair advantage over other players by using this bug.

Clarified (with Conditions)

This is not the original reason for being banned. Player A might have been banned for a light insult. This means that Player A and a GO were able to sort things out. Sometimes, GOs will give conditions such as naming a town using English text if a player was using Chinese characters. If Player A does not comply with the conditions once his account is reactivated, he might be banned once again.

Fleet Contact

I believe that this may have something to do with account sitting. Player A inform the GOs that he will manage Player B’s account since they are friends but Player B will be going away on vacation (where there are no computers or no Internet). But Player A uses Player B’s account to send resources to Player A’s account. Player B has a higher score than Player A so this isn’t grounds for pushing. Still, fleet contact isn’t allowed during account sitting.

Inappropriate town name/s

Player A names one or more of his towns using profanity or non-English text. I can understand why bad word town names call for a ban. Perhaps GOs simply are being cautious by preventing players from using characters such as Japanese, Arabic, etc. so that other players do not misinterpret the meanings. Player A could be insulting Player B using Japanese characters.

Insults (Light Insult to Heavy Insult)

Player A sends an inappropriate message to Player B. Player B informs a GO and GO determines the severity of the insult. Player A could also send the inappropriate message directly to a GO. Consult a guide on proper etiquette when speaking with people if you don’t know what an insult means. ^_^

Mass Multi

Player A creates multiple accounts on a single server. Player A also has several accounts on different Ikariam servers and does the same thing.

Multi X/X

Player A creates multiple accounts on the same server. X would probably be the number of accounts created.

Non English Message

Player A sends a message non-english message to Player B. Player B does not understand the message and informs a GO. GO uses translate.google.com to try and interpret the message but cannot find any malicious meaning to it. GO simply flags this as a Non English Message.

Pushing

Player B has a lower total score than Player A. Player A receives resources from Player B. Player A does not give any resources in exchange and in a sense, gets the resources for free. These can be grounds for extortion since Player A could be threatening Player B with attacks if Player B does not give in to Player A’s demands.

Spam

Player A sends a the same message to many players in his server. This is probably the reason why players limited to sending 5 messages in 5 minutes to players not in their alliance (if they have one). Admittedly, this is a popular way of inviting other players to join an alliance. Perhaps this becomes a ban if Ikariam server performance is affected by the tremendous amount of load. (i.e., Player A caused a server to crash because of spamming ^_^).

There are other reasons I have not discussed (such as Report Tool Abuse – any idea what this is?), but the above reasons are the ones I often see in the pillory. New reasons can be invented and if such is the case, then this list will have to be updated.

GOs are usually lenient with players if its their 1st offense. They will only ban a player temporarily. But if a player keeps doing the same thing again, and again, and again (emphasis), then that player can expect a permanent ban. What a waste of time and effort… building up a great empire… only to see it all taken away because one did not play within the rules of the game. This is another Ikariam lesson that will serve one well in life.

Play within the rules!!!

Funeral Near Nagcarlan

Yesterday, I attended the funeral and burial of a friend’s mother. A person only has one shot at life, and after it is snuffed out, you will be judged by people here on earth, but more importantly, by  your Maker in heaven.

I think that one way to find out if your life had meaning was to determine how many people your life had an impact on. And yesterday, I saw how much of an impact the person who died had on her family, her friends, and her community. It made me reassess how much of my life has made an impact on others.

As a Christian, I am guaranteed eternal security because of my faith in Jesus Christ. But in terms of heavenly rewards, will I actually receive anything? We Christians will be rewarded based on what we have done with our lives. Has my life actually had any meaning or impact on others?

There is a certain beauty one can experience in a funeral procession. It is an event that is meant to be slow, perhaps to help the relatives and friends of the departed reminisce the times they spent together. Every step is a memory recalled, even the mundane becoming important at that instant in time since it has more meaning now that that loved one is gone. The songs being played were also meaningful, each song’s lyrics, chosen specifically to commemorate how important the person was.

Provinces, being closely knit, show more support for the family in grief. I’d imagine that if people had a bird’s eye view of the procession, they would see a long line of umbrellas following the funeral car. And every now and then, as that line passes a house or a corner, a new set of umbrellas would join the group, like streams of waters meeting up with a large river, or droplets of water joining a “moving” puddle.

I used to think that it does not matter what people here on earth think about you because in the end, it is the Lord who will judge you, and how you lived your life. People could say nice things during your eulogy, but God knows the truth. But now, I should probably re-evaluate that stance. People you’ve been an important part of while here on earth will be your witnesses… testaments to how you lived your life. When the Lord “replays” the events in your life on that heavenly monitor, it will show whether or not each act you’ve done brought Him honor or shame. Good works should outweigh the bad in order to receive a reward. Salvation is already yours as a Christian, but will you be able to offer a crown at Jesus feet? I hope I will be able to do so.

Digital Impersonation

I just watched a video on TED showing how people in the movie industry aged Brad Pitt for his latest movie, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, without the use of make-up. Here’s the link:

http://www.ted.com/talks/ed_ulbrich_shows_how_benjamin_button_got_his_face.html

This technology in effect creates a database of an actor’s facial expressions, movements during speech, and other emotional expressions. This brings to mind several possibilities about the future:

• Brad Pitt and other actors like him could not only “live and be young forever”, they can now act forever. While movie stars have been immortalized in the past through movies, Brad Pitt can continue to act, even when he is long gone from this earth since other actors can simply wear his “head”. Audio technology can already reproduce the same sound of speech. A low-paid actor, even an unknown, can simply study Brad Pitt’s past movies and become aware of the small nuances than make Brad Pitt who he is, then after dawning the “Brad Pitt digital mask”, star in a new Brad Pitt movie.
• Perhaps later on, actors no longer have to exercise or fatten up so that they’d fit into a particular role. Producers could simply hire someone who fits the body profile, then attach their favorite actor’s head after filming.
• The Doctor, from the Star Trek: Voyager series could become a reality soon. Some medical professionals don’t exactly look like Brad Pitt, so what if you could have Brad Pitt for your doctor? Would you be calmer during a medical consultation if your doctor was pretty or handsome? Would you learn better if your teacher was good looking? Would you be more inspired to work if the same criteria was applied to your boss?
• There have been studies about good looking people landing higher positions. With work-at-home scenarios becoming more prevalent, having a good looking digital mask might just land you that high-paying position, especially if the final job interview is going to be done via video conferencing.
• In terms of crime, people can now dispute video evidence saying they are being framed. Kings or Politicians can continue ruling, even after they have long died if people continue to see them making public speeches via television or later on, internet TV.
• Artificial Intelligence could later on have a face of a popular figure. It reminds me of Revelations 13:15: And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Technology is neutral. The way it is applied into our lives results in positive or negative consequences. As tech becomes more and more complex, and as the fulfillment of Biblical prophesy becomes easier to imagine with the way technology is rapidly improving, Christians’ hope in Jesus Christ’s second coming should increase as well.

Surrender Strengthens You

The paradox of surrender is that it produces power and victory. Stubborn temptations and overwhelming problems can be defeated by Christ when handed over to Him.

As Joshua approached the biggest battle of his life, he encountered God, fell in worship before Him, and surrendered his plans. That surrender led to a stunning victory at Jericho.

Surrender doesn’t weaken you, it strengthens you. When you are surrendered to God, you don’t have to fear or surrender to anything or anyone else. The founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth, once said, “The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender.”

Why surrender?

Because you belong to your Creator. God has a right to direct your life: “We are not our own bosses to live or die as we ourselves might choose” (Romans 14:7). “Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are His. We are His people …” (Psalm 100:3).

Christ bought you with His sacrifice on the cross. The Bible says, “And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

When you surrender to Christ, you fulfill the very purpose He died for – not just to save you from hell, but also to save you from self-centeredness! We Christians do not live for ourselves, but for our Savior.

“At one time you surrendered yourselves entirely as slaves to impurity and wickedness for wicked purposes. In the same way you must now surrender yourselves entirely as slaves of righteousness for holy purposes” (Romans 6:19).

Taken from Christianster.com. May you be blessed by this reading ^_^