Scott's Arrival

Start:	Jul 31, '08 11:30a
Location:	Makati, Philippines

Scott is finally getting to Manila!

Welcome Champagne at Barcino Gourmet, The Fort August 1st
Get together at Masas, Absinth, M Cafe, Martini's at the Mandarin August 2nd
Wine Tasting August 8th

Philippine Stock Exchange Gets Merryl Lynch's Approval

Just when you thought that we are all down in the dumps....


Stock market looking good, says Merrill Lynch
By Doris Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:35:00 07/26/2008

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine stock market is looking more attractive these days to investors on the hunt for bargains, a top strategist at American investment banking giant Merrill Lynch said.

The Philippines is in a better position to attract investors again than India, which has also suffered heavy stock market sell-offs because of surging oil prices over the recent months, Stephen Corry, head of investment strategy at Merrill Lynch (Asia-Pacific) Ltd., told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview.

The Hong Kong-based Corry added that the central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), had effectively convinced the market of its commitment to prevent runaway inflation after jacking up its benchmark interest rate by 0.50 percentage point last week, double the 0.25 point expected by the market.

“Some Asian central banks are more proactive than others and those that are proactive will ultimately be rewarded with higher currencies, better fixed income markets and potentially higher equity markets once the US market find its floor,” Corry said.

He noted that Vietnam, where the inflation rate had risen to 27 percent as against only seven percent recorded at about this time last year, stood out as a clear example of not being proactive.

“Investors have lost faith in the credibility of the central bank and repatriated their money out of the country, that’s why equity prices [in Vietnam] are down 50 percent year-to-date,” Corry said.

By contrast, he said the hefty interest rate increase by the BSP last week lifted peso value versus the US dollar, narrowed the credit spreads and also perked up the equity market.

The Philippines’ main-share index has trimmed its year-to-date losses this year to 30 percent from as high as 35 percent, he noted.

“Definitely, it’s a step in the right direction,” he said.

Although most investors would still currently prefer to hold on to cash than return to Asia-Pacific stock markets, Corry said the Philippines was one of the markets where there are ample opportunities for bargain-hunters.

“What gets me excited about the Philippines first of all is that the price-earnings multiple is less than 10 times. That means that chance of further derating [values falling] is minimal,” Corry said.

The lower the price-earnings ratio, the less expensive it is to accumulate stocks of that company.

Corry said the problem, however, was that corporate earnings among companies traded on the local stock exchange were now running flat to 5 percent or slower than Merrill Lynch’s forecast of 10-15 percent early this year.

“But I always believe it’s easier to buy when everyone else is selling rather than when everyone is buying. So, I think the Philippines is beginning to be interesting. It’s one of our overweight (an investment strategy to accumulate a certain asset) markets,” he said. With editing by INQUIRER.net

Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Philippines wins again at the English Speaking Union Public Speaking World Finals!

Eat our shorts Korea. After Patricia Evangelista won in 2004,  Sixteen-year old, incoming Gian Dapul, an incoming high school Senior at the Philippine Science High School has just won the English-speaking union's world championships held in London a couple of weeks ago. He beat 57 other participants from 35 countries, most of them college students. A Philippine Star news report reads -- Gian reportedly impressed the judges and audience with his relaxed and humorous delivery of a substantive speech with a clear message. Placing second was a young lady from Thailand who spoke on the need to avoid pre-marital sex, while the third-placer, from Bulgaria, promoted the use of bicycles instead of cars. Reed recounted that the chairman of the judges for the finals, Peter Kyle, the chief executive of the Shakespeare Globe Trust, acknowledged that Gian "impressed everyone with his speech, which from the start got the audience's attention." In November, Gian will be presented with a certificate at the ESU Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace by His Royal Highness, Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Most likely, the Queen herself will be present as well, since the English Speaking Union marks its 90th anniversary this year. FISH MUCUS AND FOOT FUNGUS by Gian Dapul Champion of the ESU International Public Speaking Contest 2008 When I was in 6th grade, I hated Mathematics. You would have, too, if you had my teacher. He would drop huge workbooks on our tables and croak, "Thirty problems, fifty minutes." A lot of these problems seemed unsolvable, so we complained: "Sir, there are no answers to these!" But then he'd reply, "To every question there is an answer, to every problem there is a solution." Although I'm only sixteen years old and an incoming 4th year high school student, I know that my country has more problems than any Mathematics book. Strangely enough, the answers to some of our problems are fish mucus and foot fungus. These seemingly improbable items are products of what we call scientific research. Research turns our guesses into real knowledge, serving as the sifting pan of our hypotheses. It challenges what we assume, because, as they say, if you only learn from what you ASS-UME, you make an "ass" out of "u" and "me". In the early 1800s, someone warned that the streets of London would be filled with horse manure due to the uncontrolled use of horse-drawn carriages. Of course, that never happened. Combustion engines, products of research and invention, replaced horses, and the manure piled up in Parliament instead. While on the subject, few people know that the most expensive coffee in the world is taken from the droppings of the Asian Palm Civet found in the Philippines and Indonesia. The small mammal excretes the coffee berries it eats, and forest trackers recycle the fruity feces to create what is known as Kopi Luwak in Indonesia or Kape Alamid in our country. Research has led to a synthetic process that simulates the droppings' exotic flavor and quality. So, who's had coffee with their breakfast? Well, soon nobody will have had coffee and breakfast if the looming global food crisis worsens. Are you all feeling fine? Well, nobody might be fine for long if some new disease creeps up on us. Health can be enhanced and life can be extended. The nudibranch, a beautiful, soft-bodied creature unfairly called a "sea slug" — a favorite among underwater photographers for its marvelous colors and shapes — has actually been used in tumor research. Samples of fish mucus have also displayed certain antibacterial properties. And as the Home Shopping Network would say, "Wait! There's more." Certain types of infectious fungi that coat some of your toes here form beneficial relationships that support plant growth. The International Rice Research Institute based in the Philippines continues to develop ways to improve rice growth and help alleviate the current food crisis. New challenges are coming, and they will always confront us. What we need is an army of scientific researchers that will help find the solutions in advance. I want to be part of that army that would cross the new frontiers first. If only we could make science fairs and contests as popular as the thriving "Pop Idol" franchise. Although I'm not sure if Simon Cowell's sardonic comments will sit well with my peers. But we need the same hard-hitting passion in research and invention. To conduct research is to be innovative; avant-garde. Researchers are like artists with test tubes and lab gowns instead of paintbrushes and smocks. When I graduate from the Philippine Science High School next year, I want to begin my "masterpiece" and apply for a university degree in Biochemistry. But sometimes, I am discouraged by those who say that a researcher from a Third-World nation is like a Jesuit adhering to a vow of poverty, or worse, like a Benedictine monk observing the vow of chastity. It is indeed a challenge, but it's also another frontier to cross, for me and many young people like me. We Filipinos are well known for their dedication to service, in foreign homes, hospitals and hotels. In the hotel, I found three Filipinos working there. I want to be one of the pioneers that will make the Philippines known for its excellence in scientific research, as part of the driving force that will expand our horizons towards tomorrow. And I intend to have a lot of fun while doing it. Going back to my math teacher, I eventually realized that, well, he was right. As he said, "To every question there is an answer, to every problem there is a solution." We just have to go looking for the right ones. Who knows? Maybe one day we'll be answering the questions that haven't been asked yet. ------------------------------------- To read the 2004 winning entry of Philippines' Patricia Evangelista, Click here.

Got Class? Check out the Philippine Opera Company

http://www.philippineoperacompany.com/index.html
Culture in all areas is alive and well in vibrant Philippines!!


Philippine Opera Company (POC) is the only opera company in the country that produces regular opera productions. Founded in 1999, it's being managed by classical singers who perform at major venues in Manila as well as abroad. It is committed to extending opera beyond its elitist pedestal by performing in malls, churches, community centers, parks, and schools as well as in theatres thereby making opera more accessible to more audience.

To celebrate the fusion of music and drama, to share this passion for opera and help nurture this medium in our country – to this goal the Philippine Opera Company is committed to, most of all in developing a new generation of classical singers and audiences, and to develop our own Filipino style of presenting opera. POC also helps develop opera appreciation among Filipinos by performing outreach programs for schools, government agencies and private corporate organizations throughout the country with the funding from the outreach arm of POC, Friends of Philippine Opera Foundation.

After the successful launching of 2006 Opera Season with Terence McNally's Tony Award Winning piece, “Master Class”, “Operanow 2: An Evening of Puccini”, “Opera-lite … first opera bar tour” and Mozart's “Magic Flute”. This year, Philippine Opera Company is embarking on its 1 st full-length opera production of Puccini's most loved opera, “La Boheme” on October 2008 at the CCP Main Theater.

Philippine Opera Company's “Music and Lyrics” and “Tribute to Pavarotti” were named as two of Philippine Daily Inquirer's 2007 “Best Shows of the Last Quarter”.

POC is also committed to a number of programs designed to bring communities a chance to experience opera firsthand – “My First Trip to the Opera Program”, Student's Opera Workshops, Opera a la Carte and Pocket Opera.

Philippine Opera Company now has a total number of 85 artists in their talent pool, which they promote and manage.

Finally, NAIA 3 is Now Open For Business.

Unlike NAIA 1 and 2, families and friends welcoming or sending-off relatives and friends will have access to the terminal building itself, where they will be able to relax in lobbies and coffee shops, shop in retail stores or have send-off parties in restaurants.

The installation of state-of-the-art security equipments will guarantee safety to well-wishers, passengers and employees within the building.

NAIA 3 was built by the PIATCO consortium composed of Philippine, German and Japanese companies, namely Philippine Airport and Ground Services Terminals, Inc.; Fraport AG Frankfurt Services Worldwide; People Air Cargo and Warehousing; SB Airport Investments; Philippine Airport and Ground Services, Inc. and Nissho Iwai Corporation.

It was designed by the American Architectural firm Skidmore Owings Merill along with Flaghalen Frankfurt Main, AG.


An ultra-modern building measuring 1.1 kilometers from end to end, NAIA 3 was built according to a master plan drawn by the Aeroport de Paris in 1990.


The new terminal will have among its major features 20,000 sq. meters of shopping mall, 140 check-in counters, 118 immigration and 40 Customs counters, nine moving walkways and two car parks which would accommodate more than 3,000 vehicles, 70 flight information terminals, 300 kilometer fiber optic IT cabling, 29 restrooms, 29 elevators and 20 escalators.

It will also have duty free shops, conference rooms, a food court and an ecumenical chapel. (PNA)




Planes start flying out of NAIA 3 for 1st time

Officials target full operations this year

By Tarra Quismundo, Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:25am (Mla time) 07/22/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- After being in mothballs for six years, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) began partial operations Tuesday with a total of 16 domestic flights on schedule, an official of the Manila International Airport Authority said.

Tirso Serrano, MIAA assistant general manager for airport development and corporate affairs, said these would include eight inbound and eight outbound flights, all from Cebu Pacific Air (CEB).

As early as 5:15 a.m., a CEB plane ferried the first NAIA 3 passengers from Manila to Caticlan in Aklan.

“This is a culmination of years of hard work,” said Serrano, adding that they had to repair many structural defects.

Aside from Caticlan, CEB will fly to four local destinations: San Jose in Mindoro; Naga in Bicol; Laoag City, and Tuguegarao City, Serrano said.

CEB will field its 72-seater ATR 72-500, light turbo-propeller planes to these areas.

CEB agreed to pioneer domestic operations at the controversial terminal after airport authorities finally resolved some safety concerns.

CEB president and CEO Lance Gokongwei said they would assess the initial commercial operation after which they would decide whether to bring in 18 additional aircraft for 55 domestic roundtrip flights everyday.

CEB aircrafts consist of two ATRs, 10 A319, and eight A320.

Meanwhile, Serrano said flights from Philippine Airlines and Air Philippines would be introduced within the week, while international flights from CEB and PAL are expected within the year.

PAL is also expected to begin operations of its budget brand PAL-Express at the new terminal.

Meanwhile, NAIA-3 general manager Alfonso Cusi said he was “happy that the partial operation was very good.”

“Akala ko hindi na mabubuksan ito ang terminal na ito [I thought this terminal would never be open]. I’m so happy we are putting this into good use,” he added.

Cusi said that although the long overdue terminal was “98 percent complete according to the contractors,” it was undergoing “continuous construction” to ensure complete operations within this year.

They would also add 60 immigration counters, Cusi said.

Head of Task Force NAIA-3 Mike Defensor said they were ahead of their target schedule of ensuring full operations of the new airport terminal within six months, because officials of CEB said they could bring in international flights within the next few months.

“Once we have the first [international] flight out and the first flight in, then we are fully operational,” he said.

PAL and CEB will field planes that do not require the use of aero bridges -- terminal tubes that connect to plane doors for boarding or deplaning. In a dry run last month, one of NAIA 3’s aero bridges malfunctioned as it was being tested on an Airbus A-340.

But for small aircraft, all systems were working during the dry run, said CEB spokesperson Candice Iyog. “The terminal will be more comfortable for our passengers,” she added.

CEB’s wide-body operations to major cities in the country will remain at the old Manila Domestic Terminal until further notice.

For its flights this Tuesday, CEB said it would use three check-in counters at NAIA 3’s main hall, Iyog said.

Its first flight carried at most 72 passengers to the Aklan Island, gateway to the country’s premier beach destination, Boracay. All flights for Tuesday are expected to carry around 500 passengers, Iyog added.

The new terminal is twice as large as NAIA-2 and thrice the size of NAIA’s Terminal 1, he said.

Serrano added that NAIA-3 could accommodate as many as 13 million passengers a year (or 35,000 passengers a day) and 28 flights at any given time.

"[The new terminal] will bring the country's overall airport capacity to 25 million a year," Serrano said.

Meanwhile, Angel Atutubo, assistant general manager for security and emergency services of NAIA, said they have patterned the security of Terminal 3 after that of the Los Angeles Airport.

K-9 units and 500 airport security personnel were posted for Tuesday's opening, Atutubo said.

More than 50 security checking equipment were also set up in key areas in the terminal, he added.

Atutubo called this the "four-level security screening," which would consist of a comprehensive security system designed to detect all kinds of explosive and illegal devices.

"Level 1 and 2 consist of the explosive detection system 5000 (EDS), level 3 with the CTX 9000 that detects all kinds of prohibited items, and these will be redirected to level 4," he said.

Atutubo said these equipment cost around P3 million each.

"Our security here promises comfort and convenience to passengers and passes international standards," Atutubo said.

The terminal was mothballed in 2002 after the Supreme Court voided the multibillion-peso contract for its construction because of onerous provisions. The terminal was 90 percent complete at the time, throwing the government into a legal morass.

Airport officials said partial operations would initially involve only 15 to 20 percent of the facility.

The agency said it hoped to keep domestic operations running for six months to a year before shifting to full domestic and international operations.

Copyright 2008 INQUIRER.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

You Must Marry Me Today.

Download this MV @ http://ohsosublime.blogspot....

David Tao and Jolin Tsai!

chun nuan de hua kai dai zhe dong tian de gan shang
wei feng chu lai lang man de qi xi
mei yi shou qing ge hu ran cong man yi yi
wo jiu zai ci ke tu ran jian dao ni
chun nuan de hua xiang dai zou dong tian de qi han
wei feng chui lai yi wai de ai qing
niao er de gao ge la jin wo men ju li
wo jiu zai ci ke tu ran ai shang ni
ting wo shuo shou qian shou gen wo yi qi zou
chuang zhao xing fu de sheng huo
zuo tian yi lai bu ji ming tian jiu hui ke xi
jin tian jia gei wo hao ma

Jolin in the house, DT in the house
Jolin in the house, DT in the house
Come on Jolin in the house, DT in the house
Our love in the house, sweet sweet love

xia ri de re qing da dong chun tian de lan san
yang guang zhao yao mei man de jia ting
mei yi shou qing ge dou hui gou qi hui yi
xiang dang nian wo shi zhen me ren shi ni
dong tian de you xiang jie shu qiu tian de gu dan
wei feng chui lai ku le de si nian
niao er de gao ge chang zhe bu yao li bie
ci ke wo duo me xiang yao yong bao ni
ting wo shuo shou qian shou gen wo yi qi zou
guo zhe an ding de sheng huo
zuo tian yi lai bu ji ming tian jiu hui ke xi
jin tian ni yao jia gei wo
ting wo shuo shou qian shou wo men yi qi zou
ba ni yi sheng jiao gei wo
zuo tian bu yao hui tou ming tian yao dao bai shou
jin tian ni yao jia gei wo

ding dang ting zhe li tang de zhong sheng
wo men zai shang di he qin you mian qian jian zheng
zhe dui nan nu xian zai jiu yao jie wei fu qi
bu yao wang le zhe yi qie shi duo me de shen sheng
ni yuan yi sheng si ku le yong yuan he ta zai yi qi
ai xi ta zhun zhong ta an wei ta bao hu ta
liang ren tong xin jian li qi mei man de jia ting
ni yuan yi zhe yang zuo ma Yes I do
ting wo shuo shou qian shou yi lu dao jing tou
ba ni yi sheng jiao gei wo
zuo tian yi shi guo qu ming tian geng duo hui yi
jin tian ni yao jia gei wo

The Other 2 Filipino Torchbearers at the Beijing Olympics.

http://www.china.org.cn/olympics/news/2008-06/19/content_15856964.htm
It is not just Marcos Antonio Torres the only Filipino who will carry the torch but there are two others. And no, they dint join the contests- they were selected by the Beijing Municipal Government.

Jaime FlorCruz, CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief is scheduled to carry the Olympic torch on August 6 in Beijing, two days before the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. His daughter Michelle, a student at the International School in Beijing, will carry the Olympic torch on August 3 in Tangshan City.

The Filipinos Are Invisible No More.

I come from a country where, for decades, people have been leaving for greener pastures. It’s heartbreaking, but we didn’t know that by doing so, we were slowly exporting love and care. Now, we are exporting our culture and arts.

In front of me and behind me is a whole army of Filipino talents. As you have seen here ... Filipinos can fill your movie houses. We are a potent, profitable force. Let us continue appreciating and supporting each other’s culture.

This award holds a special significance ... through this recognition, Filipinos are invisible no more.
- Jim Libiran, Director, Tribu


Dans les rues mal famées de Tondo, le plus grand bidonville de Manille, les gangs rôdent et font la loi. Dans cette ambiance crépusculaire et claustrophobe, seuls les plus forts survivent. Un soir, Ebet, un jeune garçon de dix ans, est témoin du meurtre d’un des membres de la tribu des Sacred Brown. La nuit ne fait que commencer, mais déjà la tension monte... Journaliste reporter, Jim Libiran décrit, dans ce premier long métrage de fiction, un monde entre réalité et allégorie, dans lequel les membres des bandes rivales interprètent leur propre rôle. Sur fond de musique hip-hop originale interprétée par les gangs de Tondo eux-mêmes, Tribu témoigne d’une société où la violence et la mort sont parfois les seuls moyens d’expression de jeunes en mal de repères et sans perspective d’avenir. Souvent comparé à La Cité de Dieu de Fernando Meirelles, le film décrit avec une grande précision les rites d’initiation des nouveaux membres, les rivalités, le machisme... Trente ans après Insiang de Lino Brocka, qui dénonçait déjà les dérives de ce quartier, le cinéaste pointe les nouvelles tragédies de la misère urbaine d’aujourd’hui. Ce beau mélodrame puise sa force dans ses racines documentaires autant que dans son efficacité narrative.

In the disreputable streets of Tondo, Manila’s biggest slum, lurking gangs rule the roost. It’s a claustrophobic, crepuscular ambiance where only the strongest survive. One evening, Ebet, a 10-year-old boy, sees one of the members of the Sacred Brown tribe get killed. The night has barely begun, but the tension’s already rising... In his first fictional feature film, journalist Jim Libiran, describes a world between reality and allegory, where rival gang members play their own roles. With an original hip hop soundtrack by the Tondo gang members themselves, Tribu looks into a society where violence and death are how youngsters with little guidance and no hope for the future express themselves. Often compared to Fernando Meirelles’ City of God, the film describes the gangs’ initiation rites, rivalries, and macho behavior with great precision. Thirty years after Lino Brocka’s Insiang, which denounced the drift towards violence in the area, Libiran shows the new tragedies of today’s urban misery. This is a fine melodrama, drawing force from its documentary roots as well as from its effective narration.

(http://www.pariscinema.org/fr/film/fiche-film.html?film_id=2316)









‘Tribu’ is only non-European film to win at Paris fest
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:49:00 07/12/2008

MANILA, Philippines—“Tribu” has won the Pari de l’Avenir award, or Youth Jury Prize, at the Sixth Paris Cinema International Film Festival, which ends this Saturday.

“To be recognized in the city where cinema was born is immensely satisfying,” said its director, Jim Libiran.

He said the Pari de l’Avenir was given by a “jury of students and a film reviewer from the film magazine Positif.”

As part of the prize, “Tribu” will be promoted for possible distribution in France, Liberan said.

Pari de l’Avenir means “Bet of the Future,” Libiran said. The award is one of three given in the competition for feature films. The other awards are Pari du Jury and Pari du Public.

It is the only non-European film to win in the festival. Stephen Walker’s “Young @ Heart” won the Jury and Audience awards.

“Tribu” competed with films from France, Japan, China, Haiti, Mexico, Great Britain and Hungary-Germany.

It is a digital movie that chronicles the violent lives and deaths of rapper gangs in Manila’s Tondo district.

Last year, “Tribu” won Best Film in the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.

Upon receiving this latest award for his film, Libiran told the Philippine Daily Inquirer via SMS: “Tondo kids yearn for respect and recognition for their talents. They yearn to show the world how gifted Filipinos are.”

The French festival featured a special program that showcased 47 Philippine films.


‘Slowly exporting love and care’

Wearing a black barong Tagalog designed by his cousin Francis Libiran, the director paid homage to overseas Filipino workers in his speech: “I come from a country where, for decades, people have been leaving for greener pastures. It’s heartbreaking, but we didn’t know that by doing so, we were slowly exporting love and care. Now, we are exporting our culture and arts.”

The Paris Cinema witnessed the biggest participation of the Philippines in any festival—with over 50 Filipino filmmakers, actors, producers, scriptwriters and journalists attending the two-week event.

Libiran said in his speech: “In front of me and behind me is a whole army of Filipino talents. As you have seen here ... Filipinos can fill your movie houses. We are a potent, profitable force. Let us continue appreciating and supporting each other’s culture.”

He added, “This award holds a special significance ... through this recognition, Filipinos are invisible no more.”

Charlotte Rampling

Libiran said he was thrilled to relate that his acceptance speech was translated by the acclaimed actress Charlotte Rampling, who is president of the Paris Cinema International Film Festival.

“The award ceremony was held at the MK2 Cinema, Bibliotheque National François Mitterrand where most of the festival screenings took place,” he said.

Next stop for “Tribu” is the 10th Osian’s-Cinefan Festival of Arab and Asian Cinema in New Delhi, India, where it will compete, along with another entry from the Philippines, Jerrold Tarog and Ruel Dahis Antipuesto’s “Confessional (which won Best Picture-see story at the comments section).”

The 10th Osian’s-Cinefan ends on July 20.

Foreign programmers: RP film scene exciting
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:27:00 07/16/2008

MANILA, Philippines—Foreign festival programmers, who are in Manila for the 4th Cinemalaya Film Festival, told Inquirer Entertainment that Philippine cinema looks “exciting, energetic.”

Ansgar Vogt recounted that, while screening DVDs for the Berlin International Film Festival in 2005, he noticed there were three Filipino movies on his to-watch list: Auraeus Solito’s “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” and “Tuli” and Raya Martin’s “The Island at the End of the World.”

“As part of my job, I watch at least 1,000 films a year,” Vogt explained. “That these three films stood out could only mean that there must be something going on in the Philippines.”

His theory was “confirmed” when he set foot in Manila last year for Cinemanila, an international film festival. “I was amazed. The local scene was thrilling, energetic, different. [I found] a broad spectrum of films.”

Raymond Phathanavirangoon of the Toronto Film Fest agreed: “I was impressed by this year’s Cinemalaya entries. Even though most of them are first-timers, there’s a lot of talent and passion in their works. Filipino cinema is definitely one of the most exciting in Southeast Asia.”

He reported that there will be more than one RP film in Toronto this year. The first announced officially was Dante Mendoza’s “Serbis.”

Shanty Harmayn-Hofman of Jakarta Film Fest said she was instructed to bring home “lots” of Filipino films. “We’re building a Southeast Asian section in our festival.”

Hofman described the local scene as “fascinating.” She explained: “Digital technology has made filmmaking feasible here, but what is unique is the spirit. It’s not just one person. It’s an entire community of filmmakers making things happen.”

She recalled that several Filipino friends had urged her to watch Monster Jimenez and Mario Cornejo’s “Big Time,” a winner in the first Cinemalaya in 2005. “I found that even though the humor is [culture] specific, I could relate to it.”

Gertjan Zuilhof of the Rotterdam Film Fest concurred that a good movie crosses borders.

Storytellers’ goldmine

He picked filmmaker Lav Diaz as an example. “It can be challenging to watch a 10-hour movie, but no one else could have done that.”

He pointed out that the Philippines is "not a dull country. The political situation is a goldmine for storytellers.”

Critic Max Tessier of FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) opined that digital technology has allowed “young filmmakers to do movies that most producers wouldn’t allow them to make.”

“A cinematic explosion,” Axel Estein of Berlin’s Asian Hot Shots festival called the local “indie movement.” That over 40 Filipino movies were showcased at the 6th Festival Paris Cinema recently proves his point, he said.

“If marketed correctly,” he said, “a Filipino film could find an audience abroad—as did Jeffrey Jeturian’s ‘Kubrador’ in Europe.”

E-mail: bayanisandiego@hotmail.com

With editing by INQUIRER.net

Sounds of Earth from Space!

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMLX5SHKHF_index_0.html

Christian the Lion.

Christian was a lion purchased in 1969 by two Australians living in London, John Rendall and Anthony 'Ace' Bourke (sometimes erroneously cited as Ace Berg) — from Harrods department store.

Rendall, his girlfriend Jennifer Mary, Bourke and Unity Jones cared for the lion as it grew too large to remain their pet. After meeting Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, who starred in the film Born Free, Rendall and Bourke agreed to have Christian sent to Kenya with the assistance of conservationist George Adamson — in order that Christian be rehabilitated into the wild at Kora National Reserve.

After Christian had been in Kenya a year, Rendall and Bourke returned and visited their former pet. The animal recognized them, reared up, grasped and nuzzled both Randell and Bourke. The following video of the event received widespread dissemination around 2007-2008, more than 35 years later.

A movie titled Christian the Lion at World's End documented the relocation of Christian from England to Kenya and his successful reintroduction to the wild. After serious problems in the 1980s, Adamson and two of his assistants were murdered by poachers in 1989.

Water Car - The Future Starts Now.

As oil hits record highs everyday I think it's time the world take notice about this 30 year old Filipino invention. A water car? Yes, it can be done. They have put people in the moon! Visit Daniel Dingle's website- http://danieldingel.com/