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From Romblon to Berlin: Cinemalaya’s ‘Huling Palabas’ to compete at the Berlinale
The 19th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival entry “Huling Palabas,” which earned Best Director award for Ryan Espinosa Machado and Best Performance of a Supporting Actor for Bon Andrew Lentejas, is poised to compete at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival or Berlinale under its Generation 14plus category......»»
Philippine entry Iti Mapukpukaw misses cut for Oscars 2024 shortlist
Cinemalaya Philippines Independent Film Festival 2023 Best Picture and the Philippines' entry to the 2024 Academy Awards "Iti Mapukpukaw" has missed the cut for the Best International Feature Film category after shortlisted nominees were revealed......»»
DOLE lauds outstanding Public Employment Service Offices across nation
The Department of Labor and Employment urged collective action to address the Philippines’ job problems on 25 October during the 23rd National PESO Congress in Palo, Leyte. DOLE Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma stressed in his speech the vital role of Public Employment Service Offices or PESO and DOLE’s frontline partners in promoting productive employment at the local level. “The responsibility of realizing the objectives of the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan and the Trabaho para sa Bayan Act is not the DOLE’s responsibility alone. It is jointly shared with our social partners, especially our PESOs. The challenges we face in our employment landscape demand collective action and innovative solutions,” Laguesma said. Laguesma also emphasized the need for open and constructive dialogue with PESO managers across the nation as he bared the department's five-point agenda, which includes strengthening its core functions, fortifying partnerships with employers and educational institutions and digitalizing public employment services. DOLE conferred awards to PESOs with outstanding accomplishments in the past year during the 2022 National Search for Best PESO Awards. Among the accomplishments are the 2.4 million jobseekers employed through the facilitation of PESOs, which translates to a 91 percent placement rate across the regions. PESO Bataan won in the first-class province category, PESO Lanao del Norte in the second-class province category and PESO Aurora in the third to fifth class category. DOLE also hailed PESO Iloilo City as champion for the highly urbanized city category and PESO Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental for the component and independent component city category. Among the awardees for the municipal PESOs were PESO Villasis, Pangasinan (first class municipality category); PESO Pila, Laguna (second to third-class municipality category); and PESO Llanera, Nueva Ecija (fourth to sixth-class municipality category). The University of Batangas was elevated to the Hall of Fame for winning the search for best PESO in 2018 and 2019 and the Bayanihan Service Award in 2020 and 2021. The university job’s placement office received a trophy and a P250,000 cash prize. The post DOLE lauds outstanding Public Employment Service Offices across nation appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Photo exhibit shows scenes from the field by Howie Severino, Atom Araullo
I-Witness documentarists Howie Severino and Atom Araullo will share a selection of what they’ve seen in many years of coverage in a series of photo exhibits in SM malls. The first leg opened on 21 August at SM Santa Rosa in Laguna. The exhibits are being produced in partnership between I-Witness and SM Malls. Titled Unmasked, the exhibits mainly feature photos shot while Araullo and Severino were producing I-Witness stories as varied as a non-violent way to conduct the drug war and the plight of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. They’ve journeyed to numerous far-flung places, including an island that lost all its land, and documented desperate people whose stories ached to be told. [caption id="attachment_177127" align="aligncenter" width="764"] Howie Severino[/caption] In one episode, the documentarist became the story, as Severino was among the country’s first Covid-19 survivors. His documentary, Ako si Patient 2828, was one of the most watched Philippine documentaries on YouTube in recent memory, and won Best Documentary in the Gawad Tanglaw Awards in 2020. Just before he got sick, Severino was an evacuee from the Taal Volcano eruption of 2020. He lives on the shores of Taal Lake. That experience too is featured in the exhibit. Unmasked remembers a world just before the pandemic shut it down and celebrates a return to interactions where faces are visible once again. Atom will share photographs taken during his travels and documentary-making in the Philippines and abroad. Some of these include his trip to Bangladesh for his first documentary for I-Witness, Silang Kinalimutan. The documentary showed the story of Rohingya refugees who fled to neighboring Bangladesh after the Myanmar government denied them citizenship. It won a gold medal at the 2018 US International Film and Video Festival for Documentary’s Social Issues category. “This exhibit is a chance for us to share our work in the real world, away from screens, and interact with real people and not just names online,” said Severino. The post Photo exhibit shows scenes from the field by Howie Severino, Atom Araullo appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Indie spirit is alive and well’: Cinemalaya 19 celebrates winners, audience figures
Carl Joseph Papa’s Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) emerged as the biggest winner at the just-concluded 19th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. Aside from winning the Best Film in the Full-Length Category during the awards night on Sunday at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Iti Mapukpukaw also made a mark as the first-ever animated full-length entry that competed in the annual filmfest. It was also the highest-grossing film in this year’s edition......»»
Philippine director puts women at the ‘heart’ of drug war film
Widows and mothers are at the "heart" of a gritty documentary by Philippine filmmaker Sheryl Rose Andes, who turns the camera on women left behind by former president Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drug war. More than 6,000 people were killed in police anti-drug raids during Duterte's six-year term, which ended in June 2022, government data shows. Rights groups estimate the real figure was in the tens of thousands, mostly poor men living in slums who died at the hands of law enforcers, hitmen and vigilantes. Many of the victims had wives or partners and mothers, who have had to deal with the heartbreak and hardship of losing a loved one and often the family's main breadwinner. In her new documentary "Maria", Andes follows two of these women, Mary Ann Domingo and Maria Deparine, as they struggle to survive and find justice. "We have to register that this thing really happened. And now people need to see what has happened to their families," Andes told AFP in an interview. Andes said she was inspired to make the film out of fear that Filipinos could forget, or never learn, about the brutal period in their nation's history. She got a "huge wake-up call" when one of her students in a filmmaking course she teaches at Mapua University in Manila expressed surprise that the drug war was "really happening". That moment in 2020 -- four years into Duterte's drug war, which made headlines around the world and sparked an international investigation into alleged human rights abuses -- left her aghast. Three years later, "Maria" is the first full-length documentary to compete in the country's independent film festival Cinemalaya, which opened August 4. "Maria" -- a common name for women in the Catholic-majority Philippines -- focuses on the harrowing experiences of Domingo and Deparine, which Andes says gives the film "heart and emotion". The documentary shows the women doing menial jobs to support their families and making tearful visits to the tombs of their loved ones. "I zoomed in on the details because it should not just be about numbers," said Andes. "This is a story about women. I don't want this to be remembered as a drug war story." 'It is very difficult' Deparine lost two of her sons within days of each other in September 2016. One was with a local drug dealer when they were abducted by unidentified men. They were both shot in the head and their bodies dumped under a bridge. Six days later, a second son was arrested by police at the home of a drug-dealing couple. He was later found dead under another bridge. Since their deaths, Deparine, who works in a fish cannery and voted for Duterte in 2016, has moved multiple times with her husband and surviving son as they struggle to make enough money to pay the rent. In the same month Deparine lost her sons, Domingo's partner and teenage son were killed in a nighttime police raid while the family slept in their shanty home. Later, she and three of her surviving children had to flee for fear of their safety. Lawyer Kristina Conti, who is helping Domingo seek justice for their deaths, said the four officers who allegedly shot dead her partner and son had been freed on bail and were back in uniform after serving short suspensions. That's despite the men facing a homicide trial. "As a mother who lost her partner, it is very difficult. At times I just wanted to give up, and at times I actually did," Domingo, 49, told AFP in an interview. "This (film) is our chance to show to the world what happened to us." 'Political stand' Catholic priest Flaviano Villanueva, who appears in "Maria", said widows, mothers and grandmothers endured "unimaginable" hardships to keep their remaining family members alive. Villanueva, who runs a support group for the families of the drug war's dead, said there was a "social stigma" that led to discrimination against those left behind. Orphans were "bullied" at school and widows excluded from government assistance because "her husband got killed for being a drug addict", he told AFP. Another woman who features prominently in the film is former Philippines vice president Leni Robredo, a vocal critic of the drug war who is seen consoling Domingo and Deparine. Robredo ran in the 2022 presidential election but lost by a huge margin to the son and namesake of the country's late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who has continued the drug war. Andes, who spent a decade working for a non-government organisation before turning her hand to filmmaking, refuses to shy away from difficult subjects. She said documentaries were a "powerful tool" in retelling history, but she feared that Filipinos preferred "escapism" and were not prepared to face grim reality. Despite Duterte stepping down more than a year ago and Marcos Jr vowing to take the drug war in a new direction, Andes said the killings "never stopped". "A documentary takes a political stand," she said. "We are not fiction and we are not here to titillate." The post Philippine director puts women at the ‘heart’ of drug war film appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
MIAA demonstrates NAIA’s emergency response preparedness at CREX 2023
PASAY CITY — The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) showcased its emergency response capability and preparedness during the Crash and Rescue Exercise (CREX) 2023 at the airside premises of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Friday, 4 August. The successful demonstration of this year’s full-scale simulated emergency CREX allows MIAA to ensure that the prescribed plans, guidelines, and organizational setup of the 8th edition of the NAIA Airport Emergency Plan 2023 adequately and effectively address emergencies occurring at or within the immediate vicinity of the country’s main gateway. “A dependable communication and coordination system is essential for a responsive Airport Emergency Plan (AEP). This exercise puts our communication and coordination system to the test, not only among MIAA offices but also with our external partner agencies,” said MIAA officer-in-charge Bryan Co. “We want to assess primary and secondary responders’ ability to respond to an aircraft crash and the resulting mass casualty event, including rescue and fire suppression, treatment and transport of survivors, and crash site security. The exercise also validates the methods for shifting from an emergency situation to normal airport operations following a potential major incident,” Co added. The scenario for CREX 2023 involved a commercial aircraft bound for Subic, CREX flight #0000, carrying 76 passengers and four crew members, that suffered a left engine malfunction during the take-off run after a flock of domestic pigeons crossing the runway was ingested into the aircraft's number one (left) engine, causing the aircraft to crash. The aircraft lost thrust on its number one engine during take-off. The pilot attempted to abort the take-off, but the aircraft veered off the runway and came to a stop on the western portion. A fire broke out on the left wing. In this mock incident, there were 80 casualties, with 72 survivors and eight deceased. In addition to the standard fire suppression, medical, emergency response, and search and rescue activities, this year's CREX edition featured the activation of Cebu Pacific's Accident Site Go Team, marking the first time MIAA partnered with an airline. “Cebu Pacific prioritizes safety and has established processes when it comes to emergency response. We thank the MIAA for the opportunity for us to train together to help ensure that communication systems are in place in the event of a multi-agency response,” Cebu Pacific President and Chief Commercial Officer Xander Lao said as the airline demonstrated its emergency response, particularly in providing support to victims as well as processing and cross-matching victims and family members. The CREX is held to continuously meet security standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). In compliance with ICAO’s Suggested and Recommended Practices, the CREX is held every two years, but the full-scale exercise may not be conducted if the airport’s emergency plan was activated. The last full-scale CREX was on 19 October 2017. Several actual aircraft incidents in the succeeding years then brought to the fore MIAA’s emergency response capabilities. In August 2018, a Plan 1 emergency under its Airport Emergency Plan was activated when a Xiamen Air aircraft veered off the main runway while attempting to land during a heavy downpour. Barely two years after, another Plan 1 emergency occurred in March 2020, when a Lion Air medivac flight caught fire while it was rolling for take-off. The most recent involved a Saudia Airlines flight that went off the taxiway onto the grassy portion when its six right landing gears malfunctioned in June 2022. All passengers and crew were immediately evacuated and brought to NAIA Terminal 1. No one was hurt as a result of the incident. NAIA is rated as a Category IX airport, while MIAA’s current rescue and firefighting capability is Category X compliant, making it ready to respond to an airport emergency involving an Airbus A380. With the support of highly skilled fire and rescue personnel, a medical team well trained and experienced in aviation medicine, a fleet of modern firefighting and medical vehicles, pneumatic aircraft lifting systems, and various other rescue equipment, the MIAA Emergency Services department is on par with its counterparts in the region. “As this is a multi-agency response to a simulated emergency, assessment activities will be done after the exercise, where stakeholders are welcome to share their observations and raise comments and suggestions to improve our airport emergency plan and coordination system. The response is a community effort, and we appreciate everyone’s contribution in our quest to maintain the global standards of safety and security in NAIA,” Co said. “We would also like to thank our secondary responders for their support: Pasay City General Hospital, Ospital ng Parañaque, San Juan De Dios Hospital, Philippine Airforce, Las Piñas General Hospital, Philippine Coast Guard, Taguig City Fire Station, Manila Medical Center, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) – Makati, Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group, Las Piñas City Fire Station, BFP Parañaque, Philippine General Hospital, Philippine Red Cross – Pasay City Chapter, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority,” Co added. See more photos here: The post MIAA demonstrates NAIA’s emergency response preparedness at CREX 2023 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Phl cinema in the first year of BBM
Here, we look back at the state of the Philippine film industry since he took the seat of power 13 months ago. When President Marcos Jr. became the 17th leader of the nation, the country was on the brink of the “new normal.” The campaign elections even saw multitudes of crowds in the streets, the Filipinos’ political passion overpowering the fear of a Covid-19 infection. Covid-pandemic viewing By May 2022, the month of the presidential campaigns, the Department of Health said the country was at “minimal-risk case classification” with an average of only 159 cases per day. By June 2022, when the President took his oath, 69.4 million Filipinos had been fully vaccinated. Along with the country, the Philippine film industry started healing. On the same month, the country went under Covid-19 Alert Level 2, with 50-percent allowed capacity in indoor cinemas. Live film festivals The Marcos administration saw the return of Filipino film festivals in theaters. On Marcos’ fifth month as president, the QCinema International Film Festival, with the theme “in10City,” held hybdrid screenings — in-person and online. The Metro Manila Film Festival in December 2022, six months into the new presidency, went full force in cinemas for the second time during the pandemic. Earlier, in 2020, during the Duterte administration, the festival was held online for the first time, and the following year, in December 2021, after level alert measures in the Philippines were relaxed, the MMFF finally went back to the cinemas. However, only around 300 cinemas (down from the usual 900) were allowed to screen the MMFF entries. Meanwhile, the 18th edition of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival was held from 5 August to 31 October 2022 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, in select mall cinemas and online. But what made a mark during the Marcos administration’s first year was the inaugural edition of the 2023 Summer Metro Manila Film Festival. The SMMFF was held in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. Organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in partnership with the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines, the first MMFF was supposed to be held in 2020, but was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, held from 8 to 18 April 2023 with the theme “Tuloy-tuloy ang Saya,” the summer festival featured eight entries and, like its December counterpart, even held a Parade of Stars. About Us But Not About Us by Jun Lana, produced by The IdeaFirst Company, Octobertrain Films and Quantum Films, emerged as the first Best Picture of the summer festival. [caption id="attachment_161372" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] About Us But Not About Us by Jun Lana[/caption] The Film Development Council of the Philippines’ sixth edition of its own mini-film festival, held during the Marcos administration’s third month, headed back to cinemas, offering free access to award-winning classic films of the new National Artists for Film and Broadcast Arts at TriNoma Cinema in Quezon City and in all Cinematheque centers nationwide (Manila, Iloilo, Negros, Davao and Nabunturan). CCP closes for renovations On 1 September 2022, CCP president Margarita Moran-Floirendo announced during a hearing of the Senate committee on cultural communities, that The Cultural Center of the Philippines — home to the Cinemalaya festival — will close its doors starting January 2023 for renovation and structural retrofitting works, and will reopen in March 2025. This marks the first time that Cinemalaya, on its 19th year, which has the theme “ilumiNasyon,” will be held at various venues inside the adjacent Philippine International Convention Center, from 4 to 13 August 2023. The rise of political films With the country deeply driven by polarized political views, the Marcos administration saw a war between political commercial films. [caption id="attachment_161370" align="aligncenter" width="1800"] ‘MAID in Malacanang’ stars Cristine Reyes, Diego Loyzaga and Ella Cruz. | Photograph courtesy of viva[/caption] On 29 July 2022, Darryl Yap’s period drama Maid in Malacañang, touted as “the most controversial film of the year,” was released to packed cinemas. The movie, about the Marcos family’s last three days in Malacañang Palace before they were forced into exile, premiered at SM North EDSA and was released nationwide on 3 August 2022. Yap, who passionately campaigned for Marcos, became a controversial filmmaker with the release of his Marcos film. Leni Robredo supporters tried to boycott the film, with some Filipino movie critics exposing themselves as heavily political and non-neutral with their reviews, accusing the film of propaganda and historical revisionism. The attempt to quash the movie’s release failed and it became a box-office hit, with producer Viva Films releasing a statement that it earned a whopping P21 million on its opening day and P63 million three days after its release. It was the first time in Philippine cinema history that local theaters nationwide saw a deluge of moviegoers lining up to watch a movie on the big screen, mostly driven by political affiliation. Another unsuccessful political attempt to diminish the film’s release was Vince Tañada’s re-release of his Martial Law film Katips to counter Maid in Malacañang. Tañada’s film eventually won Best Picture at the Famas Awards. MIM actress Ella Cruz’s remark during a press conference, that “history is like tsismis,” further fanned the flames of political debate online. Eight months later, in March 2022, Viva released Yap’s second installment in his Marcos trilogy, Martyr or Murderer, which now focused on Ferdinand Marcos and the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. Two anti-Marcos movies rose to combat the film — Joel Lamangan’s Oras de Peligro, released on the same day, and Tañada’s movie adaptation of his musical play Ako Si Ninoy, released one week earlier. Movie buffs, political analysts, film critics, the press and social media influencers dove into feverish commentaries on the three films, and Philippine cinemas were ignited and, for a while, became alive with social discourse. New FDCP head On 21 July 2022, Tirso S. Cruz III officially assumed his position as the head of the country’s national film agency, the Film Development Council of the Philippines. He replaced Liza Diño, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as FDCP chairperson on 12 August 2016. [caption id="attachment_161368" align="aligncenter" width="736"] FDCP chair Tirso Cruz III. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FDCP[/caption] Cruz, a veteran actor, said that the target of the FDCP under the Marcos administration was to support local films, not just in Metro Manila, but also from regional filmmakers. He also professed support for film students and highlighted archiving as part of the FDCP’s agenda, with 42,000 materials in its archives to be salvaged. MTRCB In September 2022, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board released a statement addressing the controversy about its proposal to expand its jurisdiction to online streaming services like Netflix, Vivamax, Amazon Prime and other streaming platforms. The MTRCB said it was responding to multitudes of complaints from parents and other concerned groups demanding that the agency regulate movie and TV online platforms to protect children from harmful viewing. The Marcos administration has seen a continuous boom in streamers, which began during the pandemic, with Vivamax becoming one of the leading local streamers due to the popularity of Filipino sexploitation films. On 23 February 2023, MTRCB chairperson Lala Sotto-Antonio expressed her gratitude to Senators Francis “Tol” Tolentino, Grace Poe and Sherwin Gatchalian for the separate bills they filed that would amend and expand the board’s mandate. “We welcome the move to amend the charter of the MTRCB as it will allow the agency to adequately adapt to changes in technology and the ever-evolving needs of the viewing public and our other stakeholders,” Sotto-Antonio said before the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media chaired by Senator Robinhood C. Padilla. Eddie Garcia Act In January 2023, the chamber passed through voice voting House Bill 1270, or the proposed Eddie Garcia Act, at the House plenary session. [caption id="attachment_161367" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] HOUSE Bill 1270 has been proposed in honor of the late actor Eddie Garcia. | Photograph courtesy of gma-7[/caption] Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte authored the bill, which aims to provide workers in the movie, television and radio entertainment industry opportunities for well-paid employment and protect them from economic exploitation, abuse and harassment, as well as hazardous working conditions. The bill was named after the late veteran actor Eddie Garcia, who died in 2019 after suffering a neck injury while shooting the television series Rosang Agimat, produced by GMA Network. According to Villafuerte, productions would go from 16 to 24 continuous work hours per set and would rush productions to save costs. The proposed law mandates that normal work hours of the worker or talent shall be eight hours a day; overtime work should not exceed more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period; and the total number of work hours shall not exceed 60 hours in a week. Paul Soriano Relatively unknown to most Pinoy moviegoers, filmmaker Paul Soriano was put on the limelight as the man behind the President’s advertisements — way back from campaigns since Marcos started out as vice governor, and then, governor of Ilocos Norte, up until his senatorial campaign, and eventually his campaign for the vice presidency and presidency. [caption id="attachment_161371" align="aligncenter" width="781"] PRESIDENTIAL Adviser on Creative Communications Paul Soriano. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ig/PAUL SORIANO[/caption] Of course, the opposition in the film industry predictably canceled Soriano, the blood nephew of First Lady Liza Cacho Araneta-Marcos. Dolly de Leon It was also during the BBM era that Filipina actress Dolly de Leon gained international fame for her performance in the 2022 Cannes Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness. [caption id="attachment_161366" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Dolly de Leon gained international fame for her performance in the 2022 Cannes Palme d’Or winner ‘Triangle of Sadness.’ | Photograph courtesy ofig/dolly de leon[/caption] The 54-year old film, television and theater actress made history by becoming the first Filipino actor to be nominated at the British Academy Film Awards and Golden Globe Awards. Filipino movie fans and critics, having been exposed to global content since the rise of the streamers, plus the proliferation of self-published movie reviews, are generally still disappointed with the output and system of the Philippine film industry, but filled with hope that, with full support from the government, Philippine cinema will finally become truly internationally competitive, sustainable and recognized. The post Phl cinema in the first year of BBM appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trans fat ban iffy sans DTI-FDA deal
Even if the Food and Drug Administration and Department of Health’s order is already in effect for manufacturers to reformulate their products to remove trans fatty acids or trans fat from their products, the DTI said it cannot mandate the pull-out of existing products in supermarkets nor supervise how traders are heeding the order. Issued in 2021, DoH Administrative Order 2021-0039 and FDA Circular 2021-028 and 2021-028A gave food manufacturers until 18 June 2023 to heed the orders to tweak the formulation of their food products and totally eliminate trans fat from their products. Speaking for DTI Assistant Secretary for Legal Agaton Uvero, Trade Undersecretary for Communications Kim Bernardo-Lokin said the full force of the order and circular should be imposed by the FDA and the DoH which have the power to do so. “The issue is under the jurisdiction of the FDA and the DoH. DTI cannot enforce the DoH and FDA regulations on its own in the absence of an agreement between the two agencies,” Lokin said. Based on the DoH and FDA order, food manufacturers were given two years to reformulate and remove TFAs from their products or face sanctions. Even if products with high trans fat are usually found in supermarkets and grocery stores that are under the jurisdiction of the DTI, Lokin said a memorandum of agreement is needed for them to check if the trans fat content of manufacturers’ products is reformulated, or pull them out from supermarkets and groceries. Products that are traditionally high in iTFA or industrial trans fat, include margarine, coffee creamer, instant noodles, and baked goods such as donuts and cookies, among others. “We cannot easily pull them out since many products in supermarkets have trans fat in them,” Lokin said. iTFA is created by adding hydrogen to oil and, based on medical studies, it has no known health benefits and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and stroke worldwide, estimated to cause around 540,000 deaths every year. 564 food products Last week, Michael Pelagio, a science research specialist at the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute chemical laboratory revealed that based on a chemical examination of 564 food products tested, 17 percent had high trans fatty acid or TFA content that was risky for consumers. He said oils and fats such as sesame oil and mayonnaise, unsalted butter, all-purpose cream, and bread and pastry products such as cookies and doughnuts have a TFA content of more than two grams per 100-gram serving. “Based on our results, 17 percent of sample foods contain more than two grams per 100-gram fat. 564 samples were analyzed for TFA content. Average results in the food category showed that fats and oils had the highest TFA content, followed by milk and dairy products,” Pelagio revealed during the DoST-FNRI seminar at the Dusit Thani Manila on Friday. On the other hand, Atty. Mikhail Millan of ImagineLaw urged the public to join in the effort to enforce the DoH and FDA orders and report any manufacturers violating the orders. According to the FDA, if a company violates a provision of the circular, it will be basis for disapproval of the company’s application for a Certificate of Product Registration, or if already issued a CPR, it will be a ground for suspension or revocation of the CPR, Millan said. Late enforcement The Philippines is already late in enforcing the ban given that the World Health Organization said new laws should protect more than 3.2 billion people from TFAs by the end of 2020. Many countries, including Canada, the European Union and South America have implemented bans or restrictions on trans fats in food products. Trans fat, according to medical experts, is the worst type of fat to eat. Unlike other dietary fats, trans fats, which are artificial, raise “bad” cholesterol and lower “good” cholesterol. Cardiologists will always tell you that a diet laden with trans fats increases the risk of heart disease, the top killer of Filipinos, aside from hunger. The post Trans fat ban iffy sans DTI-FDA deal appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
EJK docu leads Cinemalaya 2023’s roster
For the first time since its inception in 2005, the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival has a documentary and an animated film in its roster of 10 full-length features competing for top honors, including best picture. The list of finalists in its 19th edition was formally introduced in a press conference yesterday, 5 July. It was attended by Cinemalaya Foundation president Laurice Guillen, festival director Chris Millado and competition chairman Jose Javier Reyes. Also present was Cultural Center of the Philippines artistic director Dennis Marasigan. Cinemalaya 2023 runs from 4 to 13 August. It will have screenings at the Philippine International Convention Center and Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (also known as CCP Black Box Theater). It will also have screening slots at partner venues Ayala Cinemas and SM Cinemas. 10 full-length films Maria by documentarist Sheryl Rose Andes follows the real-life story of a woman who lost her husband and child to extrajudicial killings. When This is All Over, directed by Kevin Mikhail Mayuga with elements of animation, is about the unexpected friendship that developed during a lockdown at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic between two young adults from opposite ends of the economic spectrum. Rookie, whose story revolves around volleyball players, is jointly directed by Samantha Lee and Natts Jadaone. Ang Duyan Magiting by Dustin Celestino is composed of anthology of scenes that depict war, terrorism and politics. It stars Dolly de Leon, Bituin Escalante, Agot Isidro, Miggy Jimenez, Jojit Lorenzo, Frances Makil-Ignacio, Paolo O’Hara, Joel Saracho and Dylan Ray Talon. [caption id="attachment_153740" align="aligncenter" width="525"] 'Rookie,' a volleball flick.[/caption] As If It’s True by John Rogers tackles the blurring line between real love and exploitation between a social media influencer and a struggling musician. Gitling by Jopy Arnaldo is about a young interpreter/translator working on the Ilonggo subtitles for a Japanese film who forms a friendship with the film’s Japanese director. Huling Palabas tells the story of a 16-year-old boy who finds solace in old VHS tapes to reconnect with his long-lost father. [caption id="attachment_153739" align="aligncenter" width="525"] 'ITI Mapupukaw' stars Dolly de Leon.[/caption] Bulawan Nga Usa (Golden Deer) by Kenneth dela Cruz is about a young man who tries to escape reality by going up a mountain, but ends up treading between mystery and self-discovery. Iti Mapupukaw (The Missing) by Carlo Joseph Papa is also about a young man going through a major life change but involving aliens. Lastly, Tether by Gian Arre replaces Killing Time in Manila Traffic by Paul Sta. Ana. Aside from full-length film category, there is the short film category in Cinemalaya. This year’s entries are Ang Kining Binalaybay Kag Ambahanon Ko Para Sa Imo by Kent John Desamparado; Golden Bells by Kurt Soberano, Hinakdal by Arvin Belarmino; HM HM MHM by Sam Villa-real and Kim Timan; and Kokuryo: The Untold Story of Bb. Undas 2019 by Diokko Manuel Dionisio. Also making the cut are Maudi Nga Arapaap (Last Dream) by Daniel James Magayon; Makoko sa Baybay by Mike Cabales; Sibuyas ni Perfecto (Perfecto’s Onion) by Januar Yap; Sota by Mae Tanagon; and Tong Adlaw Nga Nag-Snow sa Pinas by Joshua Caesar Medroso. The post EJK docu leads Cinemalaya 2023’s roster appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Lea, Regine, Luis saludo kay Nesthy Petecio, wala raw dapat ihingi ng sorry sa mga Pinoy
Nesthy Petecio, Lea Salonga at Regine Velasquez NAGKAKAISA sina Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez, international star Lea Salonga at singer-TV host Karylle sa pagsasabing hindi dapat mag-sorry si Nesthy Petecio sa sambayanang Filipino. Sobra kasi ang panghihinayang ng Pinoy athlete na hindi niya naiuwi ang gold medal sa bansa para sa women’s fetherweight category sa Tokyo 2020 […] The post Lea, Regine, Luis saludo kay Nesthy Petecio, wala raw dapat ihingi ng sorry sa mga Pinoy appeared first on Bandera......»»
Belano bags 5th Cepca weekly chess crown, Ty also repeats
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Kristina Belano bagged her fifth weekly tournament title this year after dominating the Group B Arena category of last Sunday’s Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association (Cepca) weekly online chess competition. Belano, the 12-year old Cebuana chess prodigy who topped the 2020 National Age Group Chess Tournament, dominated the arena-system competition […] The post Belano bags 5th Cepca weekly chess crown, Ty also repeats appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Cinemalaya sails to new direction with mentorship program& nbsp;
Amid the social realities brought by the global health situation where existing protocols make it impossible for the 2020 and 2021 batch to complete their films on time, Cinemalaya re-thinks its direction and strategy to remain significant while continuing to fulfill its mission of discovering, encouraging, supporting, training and recognizing gifted Filipino independent filmmakers......»»
Diaz misses bronze by 3 kgs, but formalizes qualification to Olympics
Hidilyn Diaz missed the bronze medal by three kilograms in the women’s 55kg category of the Asian Weightlifting Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, but her participation formalized her entry into the 2020+1 Tokyo Olympics. .....»»
BOI approves P356-milion bicycle manufacturing project in Bulacan
The Board of Investments said Wednesday it approved the P356.4-million bicycle manufacturing project of TRINX Bicycle Sport Technology Corp. under the export activities category of the 2020 Investment Priorities Plan......»»
Samsung named no.1 global TV manufacturer for 15 straight years
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. topped the global TV market for the 15th consecutive year, according to market research firm, Omdia. Newly released data published recently notes that Samsung Electronics recorded 31.8% in global TV market share by revenue in Q4 2020 and retained the largest annual category market share by revenue in 2020, at 31.9%......»»
Cebu chamber named COVID-19 hero for Asia Pacific region
CEBU CITY, Philippines — An international award-giving body gave recognition to the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) for its efforts in addressing the crisis brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The CCCI was named as awardee in the COVID-19 Hero Chamber Award category at the 2020 APAC Chamber of Commerce […] The post Cebu chamber named COVID-19 hero for Asia Pacific region appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Filipino-American chorale team-up bags silver in international choir competition
A duo between chorale groups of the Philippines and USA institutions was lauded with the Silver Award in the A Capella Category at the recently concluded Second Edition of the online international choir competition entitled INTERKULTUR Video Award 2020......»»
Maynilad plant conferred award of distinction
West zone Maynilad Water Services Inc. on Wednesday said its Putatan water treatment plant 2 (PWTP 2) was recently conferred an award of distinction under the “Water Project of the Year” category of the Global Water Awards 2020......»»
Smart wins Best Crisis Response at the 2020 Asia Communication Awards
Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) bagged the Best Crisis Response Award at the 2020 Asia Communication Awards (ACA), along with a joint citation with network partner Ericsson under the Network Automation category. .....»»