Netmarble’s Lineage2 Revolution Adds New Clan Bosses

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Netmarble Games Corp., the fastest-growing mobile game company in Asia, today announced that its mobile MMORPG Lineage2 Revolution introduced contents including new clan dungeon bosses and an expansion to the Tower of Insolence. 

New bosses entering the clan dungeon today are ‘Varkaron’(hard) and the ‘Queen Ant’(easy). Varkaron requires a high level of play difficulty and it is advised for players to be in a party of at least 20 members. When players defeat Varkaron, the clan is rewarded with adenas, small clan coin box, Varkaron box, core and etc., which allows a faster growth of the clan. 

The Queen Ant can be played by beginners and with a party of just 5 members. When players defeat the Queen Ant, they can receive the small clan coin box and Queen Ant box. 

The ‘Tower of Insolence’ which tests the limit of each player as they defeat monsters on each floor, has been expanded to 70 floors. Players can receive runes that help strengthen their character as they move from floor to floor and defeat stronger monsters. 

From today, players can meet the new boss monster ‘Amadeus’ in the open field ‘Summit of Dissonance.’ The new boss monster Amadeus has a high HP(health) and AP(attack) and needs players to cooperate with each other to defeat it. 

Players can also find boxes filled with varnish, consumable, quest scroll in the wide open field of Lineage2 Revolution. 

There will be a player event in Lineage2 Revolution, which will give away in game items including A to S grade equipment box and scroll: enhance accessory, until July 25. 

During the same period, there will be a dice event where players roll the dice and receive various items as rewards. Players can roll the dice with points acquired by taking part in various gameplay such as exp. dungeon clear and participation in arena. When each player completes the dice board, additional benefits including Maphr’s Protection and red diamonds can be achieved as additional bonus. 

Lineage2 Revolution is a free-to-play mobile MMORPG(Massively Multiplayer Online RolePlaying Game) based on the popular PC online game IP “Lineage2.” With graphics powered by the Unreal4 Engine, the game stays true to its PC original, as it displays a stunning open field, raid, castle siege, characters, and classes in the mobile environment. As players are able to access all areas at once, it provides a gameplay similar to that of the PC game experience. 

For more information on Lineage2 Revolution, visit the game’s official website(http://lineage2-revolution.com/en) and Facebook page(https://www.facebook.com/OfficialL2Revolution/).

DOTr Bares Two New NLEX Exits in Meycauayan

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In a bid to decongest traffic in Meycauayan, Bulacan, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), through the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), has approved the construction and opening of Libtong and Pandayan exit ramps along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).

The construction of the P31.5-million exit ramps project was started by the NLEX Corporation this year to ease vehicular traffic at the Meycauayan Interchange. Apart from constructing additional exits, the Meycauayan southbound toll plaza is also being expanded, while the east portion of its roundabout is undertaking signalization.

During the opening of the exit ramps held last July 6, NLEX Corp. President Rodrigo Franco revealed that more traffic-decongestion programs and enhancements are being undertaken in NLEX to deliver quality service to motorists.

Meanwhile, in her speech, Congresswoman Villarica recognized the significant role of DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade in making the traffic improvement program in Meycauayan possible.

Also present during the ceremony were Meycauayan City Mayor Henry R. Villarica, Vice Mayor Rafael S. Manzano, Jr., other LGU officials, NLEX Corporation Senior Vice President for Tollways Development and Engineering Raul L. Ignacio, Senior Vice President for Communications and Stakeholder Management Romulo S. Quimbo, Jr., Vice President for Project Management Nemesio G. Castillo, Vice President for Asset Management Jennifer Jane T. Go, and Assistant Vice President for Government Relations Roberto N. Tañada.

Incidentally, one of the five stations that were marked during the PNR Manila - Clark Station Marking Event held on June 26 is also located in Meycauayan. The PNR Manila – Clark Railway System is a 106-km railway that will lessen travel time from Tutuban in Manila to Clark in Pampanga to just 55 minutes.

National ID System: A Cure Worse than the Disease?

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Statement of the Foundation for Media Alternatives on a National ID System

As a response to various plans and proposals to implement a national ID system, the Foundation for Media Alternatives aims to raise awareness of the possible implications of such unified identity schemes. We believe
that a national ID system could:

1. Expand the bureaucracy and increase its maintenance costs;
2. Make the privacy and security of Filipinos vulnerable; and
3. Be used as a State surveillance tool against the people.

Officials of the Department of Finance made headlines recently with the pronouncement that the government plans to earmark PhP2 billion for the implementation of a national ID system next year. Together with their peers in the executive and proponents of the measure in Congress, these officials all proclaim the merits of having a centralized identification system: a panacea to red tape, and an obvious solution to terrorism, crime, and other security issues. 

We, at the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA), believe that such sweeping claims deserve a thorough and in-depth look, lest this turns out to be one of those instances wherein the much-touted cure becomes worse than the disease it is supposed to prevent. 

With red tape, for instance, the problem is by no means unique to government. It is common in organizations owing to poor communication, inflexible systems, and inefficient processes. As such, solutions almost always require comprehensive changes in the way things are done. That is what this administration should aim for and not an ID system, which is far from the vaunted solution it is made to be. If anything, introducing such a system may aggravate the situation by requiring more (and not less) bureaucracy. After all, most proposals seek the creation of a new database, which essentially duplicates the existing civil registry. They also require the establishment of registration centers here and abroad, thereby demanding more manpower or at least additional work for existing state employees. Truly, the system could end up expanding the bureaucracy and increase its maintenance costs. 

In terms of security, for all its supposed merits as a boon for law enforcement and national security agencies, a Filipino ID system also makes Filipinos more vulnerable. If we take the consolidated House bill, for example, it requires a considerable amount of sensitive personal data to be stored in a centralized repository. Having all these information in one place makes millions of Filipinos vulnerable to identity theft and other related crimes, via unauthorized access and other threats. After the Comelec breach incident last year, there is a real and substantial basis for this concern, especially if one considers that no system is ever completely secure or immune from breach. 

Finally, it is also worth reiterating how any ID system is one slippery slope away from being used as a systematic and pervasive State surveillance tool against the people. This is because it affords the government the power to monitor not only transactions, but also other activities and events in a person’s life. And it retains all this potential for misuse and abuse, despite the existence of Constitutional and statutory safeguards (i.e., Data Privacy Act). 

In other countries, their experience has shown that a national ID system, once installed, is never used only for the purpose it was originally intended. Here in the Philippines, we have the unrelenting socalled War on Drugs and a renewed drive towards militarization in the South. Amid such climate of fear where respect for fundamental human rights continues to erode, how far-fetched really is the idea that an ID system will be exploited by the government in pursuit of its self-determined priorities? And how unlikely really is the possibility that it will be used, not as a tool for development, but as a weapon for abuse and injustice?