Indi-fferent

Film – a medium of expression recorded on film, or so it was in the old days.  It could also be termed as “movie,” which came from the shortened phrase “moving pictures” because a movie is literally a set of pictures played in fast motion.

The world of movies has come a long way. Way back, nobody knew how to integrate music into the movie, so a live orchestra was on stand-by in front. It played music whenever a scene from the movie needed emphasis. And just like any other form of medium, it evolved into what it is today.

Technology has made everyone a potential filmmaker. One could record on a handy video cam, a digital camera, a web camera or on a cellular phone.  No wonder this year’s Metro Manila Film Fest took advantage of this technology and included a segment in this year’s fest entitled “CinePhone”.  Students from universities across the country made a public service announcement about road courtesy through video footage from the cellular phone.

Because of the emergence of such technology, there has also been a stream in the film industry called “indie”, short of independent. It is not part of the mainstream made by a big production house nor is it readily shown in the theaters.

I have always thought of indie as different to the point of being weird. It was gay, revealing and weird, or so I thought. Yet, sometimes as human beings we tend to judge even before we have seen the entire picture.

Last Saturday, in an event organized by a couple of UP students, called Full Length, I sat for roughly five hours watching two indie films come to life. At the end of each film, a open forum was held for questions or insights on the movie.

They don’t do this for the mainstream. Otherwise, it would look so bland. I couldn’t imagine bringing myself to the microphone infront of a film critique and an eager audience sharing how handsome Taylor Launtner looked in the last installment of the Twilight Saga. It’s either I get kicked out for giving wrong input or a Team Edward fan steals the microphone from  me.

Through the event, the indifference of Indi showed me that its importance to our society. This made me realize the need to make indie movies.

The intent of the movie is not to sell or to regain back the money spent in production. It is to expose the truth to a wide mass through a massive portrayal that no mainstream production outfit would ever dare to do.

Indi is daring because it wants the truth out. It shows what is reality and not some distorted perception of what reality is. Indi is gay because it speaks for the minority. It gives a voice to those who are unheard of, making the silver screen their avenue in telling the world their value and what they really are.

It is weird because it is a form of expression. Those who think that what is shown in the mainstream is the norm think that whatever seen not in accordance to the norm is weird. But weird as you might call it, Indi is deep and gives the viewer a wider understanding of society.

Films are not only because of a star actor playing the role or a New York Best Seller novel coming to life. The lessons, the portrayal and the values embedded in the grooves of the film sell to the human heart and mind that this form of medium should be supported.

**Published in The Freeman newspaper on November 20, 2012

Sa akong pinakasuod nga higala

Sa dili paka mo basa sa akong suwat dunay mga pipila ka lisod nga pulong niini:

Kolehiyo - college
Dalag - yellow
silabon - instead
mapagarbohon - proud
makalisang - awful
--
Sa akong pinakasuod nga higala.....

kaming duha ni Pearl sa among pagtapos sa sekondarya (March 2010)

Dear Pearl,

Layo na gyod ang na abtan sa atong paghinigalaay. Nakahinumdom ka sa unang adlaw sa pagtungha? Nahimo kitang higala tungod kita ra ang nagsul-ob sa kutub nga uniporme sa tunghaan. Diha-diha nagkasinabot tau g nahimong sugod nga managhigala.

Wala gayod ta nag-away sa secondary bisan og daghan kog ginabuhat ug kanunay ko ginapatawag aron mo tambong sa mga kalihokan sa tunghaan. Nakahunahuna ko nga tingali og naanad nalang ka. Nakahandom ko sa atong mga buluhaton nga dunganon gayod og buhat labi na og manglaag tai nig Biyernes tungod nga wala may klase.

Karon nga anaa na kita sa kolehiyo, di nato ikalimod nag daghan na ug kausaban. Dili nata mosul-ob og dalag nga uniporme ug itom nga sapatos silabon kanang mga panul-ubon nga makapadayag kung kinsa kita.

Sa tinud-anay, mapagarbohon ko sa unsa na ka. Wala ko magdahom nga malagpot ka sa kalibutan sa management. Dili nako mahanduraw ang imong mga kalihokan iniining kursoha. Nahimo sab kang aktibo sa mga organisasyon sa tunghaan, usa sab ka butang nga di nimo gusto apan imo gihapon gi dawat.

Bisan og daghan na kita og gipanbuhat, duna’y parte nako nga gimingaw kanimo. Gimingaw ako sa mga panahon nga mangaon tag dungan inig paniudto. Dili na kita mangadto sa kasilyas aron mamulbos sa dili pa mag ala una sa hapon ug magsimasima inig human sa klase. Lisod dawaton nga nanagko na kita. Nagpangandam nako sa akong kaugmaon ug mao sab ang imo.

Usahay dili ko ka tuo nga kaniadto, mga gagmayeng babaye ra kita sa sekondarya nga ang mga buhok gi pangko og ponytail samtang ang mga nawong galubong sa mga libro nga nakapahilak kanato sa pipila ka gabii. Lisod man ang sekondarya, apan mas lisod ang kolehiyo.

Nalipay ko nga nakakita ka og mga higala nga anaa diha para kanimo niining panahona. Dili ko makabati og sala tungod kay daghan nako og buhaton kon makakita ko nga lipay ka sa imong mga bag-ong higala. May nalang nga bisan og wala ko pirme, duna’y mga tawo nga mi amoma kanimo ug naa sa imong kiliran.

Kon duna’y mga butang nga gusto nako isugyot kanimo, akong ilangkob sa tulo ka ponto:

Una: hinay-hinay lang sa imong kasing-kasing. Kahibalo ko nga dili pa kayo dugay ang inyong pagbuwag sa imong pinalangga kaniadto. Nalisang ko samtang nagtan-aw kanimo nga miagi sa kalisod. Apan, dili kini hinungdan nga kalimtan ang imong mga buluhaton ug ang mga panaghigala nga nagama sa susimang panahon sa relasyon. Sama sa gi ingon ni Ramon Bautista, “There’s more to life than love.”

Ikaduha: buhi sab usahay. Ayaw kaayo pahigot sa imong mga ginikanan. Kahibalo ko nga sila ang labing mahinungdanon nga mga tawo sa imong kinabuhi apan makaayo sab usahay kung mananghid ka kon mosugot sila nga mo laag uban imong mga higala kon dili nako ba. Ang pagkahadlok dili makatabang, makapasamot ra kini sa kahimtang.

Ikatulo: buhia ang imong kinabuhi. Mabuhi ra ka og kausa ug kon pirme raka mo sunod sa mga mando nga gihatag para nimo, samot ka nga mapakyas sa higayon nga makita ang kaanyag sa kinabuhi. Mao na, sulayi nga imong buhion imong kinabuhi nga mura og wala na’y kaugmaon nga mo abot. Dili man makadaot ang mo katawa og kusog ug higugmaon ang kaugalingon.

Ako ning gisugyot tanan tungod nga sa pito ka tuig nga na ilhan ko ikaw, mura ba og duna’y parte sa imo nga wala miusab. Ikaw gihapon ang inosenteng batang babaye nga nag apong sa iyang Papa ug Mama nga mo sugot sa mga gagmayng kalihokan nimo. Dako na ka nga babaye karon ug may kapangakohan sa tanang pabuot nga imong pagahimuon.

Hinaot unta nga sa dili madugay ang akong mga tambag imong mgadala sa imong kasingkasing ug kini mayo kanimo inig abot sa tukmang panahon.

Hibaloa nga gihugma tika sa kanunay bisan og dad-on ko sa kahanginan (ug karera) sa layong dapit.

Pag-amping!

Annie Fe                                                                                                          

Beauty of Papa Kit's

“Preservation before revenue” - This is what Papa Kit’s Marina and Fishing Lagoon’s advocacy.

Banked on the idea of preserving nature and then letting people see what nature offers, Papa Kit’s has been in the business for a good number of years. The foundation of the resort is linked on the idea of fun and environment preservation.

The place is adorned with recreational activities which give fun and adventure but at the same time benefit the environment as well. It is a vast 96 hectare area which is comprised of a lagoon teeming with mangroves, fishponds, seashore, mountains and a very picturesque view.

Papa Kit’s is the center of attraction in Liloan, Cebu. Found in the beautiful archipelago of the Philippines as it is also a tourist attraction to foreigners and locales who would love to explore the Northern part of Cebu.

Click on the video below to view the fun you could get at Papa Kit's!

(c) www.philfortune.com

There are also a lot of interesting places in the Philippines which you may view. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

Education Talk

Jose Rizal once said, “ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan” but how do you make them the hope when majority of the kabataan are not even in school?

Lucky for me, I go to school in one of the so-called premier universities in the country, the national university. We are dubbed as the best university but day after day we wish the school is given a higher state subsidy. We students are promised quality education but are given facilities that we have coined as coming from “pre-historic times.”

There are 110 state universities and colleges, 334 satellite campuses of the main campuses, 77 local universities and colleges and 10 other government schools but the student ratio to the number of universities is more than we can imagine. Universities are overpopulated. There is no proper screening process. Worse, there are no facilities for the students to learn the best they could.

Where does this all lead to? Well, unemployment or maybe if lucky, just underemployment. Companies nowadays do not accept employees with no strong educational background. Some graduates choose to be a bum for the rest of their life living off whatever mom or dad will be giving. Some choose to flee abroad thinking that going out of the country would solve their problems.

The Constitution states in article 16 that “the state shall promote the right of all citizens to quality and education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible.” This is a promise given to the youth so that they would work hard to lift this country up. But instead, a bulk of the country’s budget goes to the military and to the pockets of we know who. In turn, the youth suffers. Education now becomes a privilege than a right. Gone are the days when education is given to all, as with the American concept of education.

(c) Philstar News

Education is clearly a right rather than a privilege. The investment on the next generation would bring hope to our dire nation. I believe in what Jose Rizal said way back. But aside from a good educational system and funding to boot, we also need another important component – teachers.

We need teachers, competitive teachers who will pass on their knowledge to the students.

What happened with the faculty of Velez College last week was a clear example of the importance of teachers.  The teachers demanded that they be given just compensation for their work. Which was a puzzle for students who pay a huge tuition fees.

We need teachers. We need our teachers to be paid well so they can help us. We need teachers who are willing to sacrifice so that we will be the best, globally.

Going back to Rizal, he was a good student and he had great teachers. Rizal is the model of a well-educated man. It would have been better for the students of today to get the same quality education that he did before. Maybe then, the youth could really be the hope of the nation.

** First published in The Freeman newspaper on November 13, 2012

Names on the Pavements

Road trips are always the best trips when it comes to traveling. Aside from the cool breeze gently touching your cheek, you get a clearer view of nature’s beauty at its best. But the breeze may be so inviting to a sleep. You get an A-plus when you can stay awake through the trip despite the long distance.

I, travel the same route of hundreds of kilometers in reaching the city and back the forth. It is no doubt that my eyelids tend to shut off somewhere in between that hour and a half. But now that elections are coming to a close, the things that keep me awake are the names on the pavements.

These are not names with R.I.Ps and a cross above it. I believe the season for that has passed a week ago. Instead, these names are those who call credit for infrastructure done as if it was bailed out from their own pockets.

The law mandates every Filipino citizen to pay tax. There are types of taxes masked in a façade that even unemployed citizens get to pay. A classic example of this is the E-VAT where your every purchase contributes 12% from it to the country’s treasury. The national budget is taken from the country’s treasury so technically, everything we see belongs to the people.

But some misunderstand this mechanism. No wonder there has been a move from the senate to push for an anti-epal­ bill.

(c) sdumalay.blogspot.com

For many of us Cebuanos, epal is not on our dictionary or even in the context of slang but for the purpose of this piece we can contextualize epal to patagad.

According to those who believe, placing your names on the pavements is more than an advertising campaign put together by the best team even if the advert is painted with the best multimedia tools available.

The logic is simple: They grab people’s attention, are remembered, and is sure to have a vote come election period on May 2013.

The lines for the registration have closed a few days back. News reports say that there has been a surge of applicants who are interested to vote. They blame the offices for not giving an extension when in fact, registration have been on-going since last year.

The sudden rise of registered voters becomes a potential market for those who intend to stay in office noting that new voters believe by what they see. Hence the saying, “What you see, is what you get.”

However, no matter how hard we try to see the picture in a clear view, the ulterior motive is wrong.

This ill purpose is out to get your vote because those who wish to run do not simply believe in themselves. As complicated the world of politics may be, when confidence is lost the ways to regain this may resort to a tactic which is unworthy of.

COMELEC says that there is a proper time for campaign. But some fellows are uneasy, they want the sure ball even as early as now. Yet, we cannot shun away from these names and even faces as we go by the streets.

For some, seeing ironic faces and names on the pavements have become a nuisance.  Instead of directly benefiting from the project, we start to act like we owe whoever on the pavement.

They say that infrastructure speaks of the level of progress in a place. It is the marker in every society that development has taken place. The Philippines has a lot with abundance and probably of the best quality.

So I guess the ride home would leave me awake for a bit. Unless those who patagad remove themselves from pavements, then  my rides home and back and forth will always be on the lookout for those who take advantage.

**First published in The Freeman newspaper on November 6, 2012

Screams from the Ferris wheel

As I was on my way home aboard a trusty jeepney, I heard a group of children scream for their lives from a far good distance.

No, there weren’t any ghosts in town yet. In fact, the festivities were waving at the municipality of Consolacion in celebration of the fiesta. Banderitas, balloons, and lights were on parade. Talk about fiesta but the screams were disturbing.

Turns out, the screams were from the ferris wheel, the highlight of every fiesta’s amusement park or perya. I couldn’t really tell if they were screams of fright or screams of excitement. But from the look of the ferris wheel, I’d take the former.

The act of screaming is an exaggerated expression from both extremes. You may be too scared or too mad. You may also either be too depressed or too happy. Whatever serves the situation.

But when we teach the children to be afraid, and they scream well that’s a different story.

In a few days time, we are given days off from work to reunite with our families and reminisce the good old days of those who have departed from us in a holiday we call All Souls’ Day. For some it is still painful to accept but on the other side of the coin, there is joy because of the enjoining back with our creator.

All Souls’ Day is the time we remember the dead, and also the time we are bombarded with the image of fear. We associate this day with ghosts, the dead and wandering spirits in a theme we would most likely name as Halloween.

Unlike the western setting, we do not foster the trick or treat tradition to our children. We often get this idea’s picture from the movies where children dress up in their scariest attire with a basket or bag in hand as they wander around the neighborhood for goodies from the folks. It’s either you get tricked and scared or given a treat.

I cannot say if this is a positive connotation on Philippine society but one thing is common – the concept of fear during this season in our children.

We scare them of ghost stories and make them scream at the top of their lungs. Costumes on the racks portray the most hideous creatures on earth as they run to mama for refuge. There are even theme booths where you pay, go through the labyrinth and scare yourself. It may be fun for the older ones but it is scary for an innocent child. Why scare him/her?

When children are scared, they lose the confidence in their selves and cling on to a person for strength when they could have been standing on their own feet already.

A screaming scared child is an example of wrong upbringing because the trust in the self is lost. There is no confidence that the ‘I’ could stand alone because of the concept of fear.

I couldn’t quite get the point of making a festivity out of scary characters. It may be fun for adults to witness the little ones cry cutely. But in their small hearts of hearts, there is no sleeping when bedtime comes. So why scare them and hear their screams when they can be told of stories about their dear departed?

**First published in the Freeman newspaper on October 30, 2012