...the fate

Filipino indie film “Busong” wins international critics prize

By: Bayani San Diego
INQUIRER.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer

September 24, 2011

 

Director Auraeus Solito on the Palawan set of "Busong". VIORY SCHELLEKENS

Auraeus Solito’s “Busong” wins FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) International Critics Prize at the Eurasia International Film Festival, Almaty, Kazakhstan.

“Busong” is a native Palawanon’s term for “fate” or “instant karma”. The film tackles the environmental degradation in Palawan island-province, where Solito’s mother hails from. The film has acclaimed actress Alessandra da Rosi as the main character Punay.

From the website http://www.busongpalawanfate.com/, the short synopsis of the film goes:

“Punay was born with wounds in her feet so she cannot step on the earth. Her brother, Angkadang, carries her with a hammock, as he searches the changing landscape of Palawan hoping to find a healer. Different people help him carry his sister along the way—a woman looking for her husband, a fisherman who lost his boat and a young man who is searching for himself- and each one meets his/her fate (Busong).”

Punay is described the personification of the island itself.

Palawan has been in the news in recent months because of the unsolved killing of environmentalist-broadcaster Dr. Gerry Ortega and the campaign to stop mining that threatens to destroy what is labelled as the country’s last frontier.

Young Pinoy math whiz takes college calculus

by Joseph Pimentel,

ABS-CBN North America News Bureau

/24/2011

 

LOS ANGELES - Solving quadratic equations is not an everyday skill for most people, except for 7-year-old Filipino American math whiz Jared Holgado.

 

 

 

With only one year of formal math education, he’s already studying second-level algebra, which is normally taught to high school honor students or kids twice his age.

 

“We’ve already gone through fractions and decimals, pre-algebra, algebra 1 and he’s doing algebra 2 at this point. Pretty good at age 7,” said Dan Steinberg, Holgado’s math tutor.

 

For the past year, Steinberg has been privately tutoring Jared, who will soon enter the gifted program at his school.

 

Steinberg said Jared’s gift is the ability to understand complex problems with just one or two examples, which allows him to move on to more difficult math problems at an accelerated pace.

 

Steinberg expects Jared to finish college-level calculus by the time he is eight.

 

“He’ll begin to have many, many choices and he can start to look into what choices that interests him. Toys, computer programming–he can use the math when he wants to,” said Steinberg.

 

Parents Nancy and Ferdinand are proud of their eldest child and are shocked by how smart he is.

 

Nancy said by the time Jared was three years old, he already knew the alphabet and could count to 100.

 

As for Jared, he doesn’t know exactly want he wants to do yet. As far as his mother is concerned, the most important thing is that he is happy.

 

 

...the FIBA Asia semi-finalist

Philippines advances to FIBA semis

abs-cbnNEWS.com

09/23/2011

 

MANILA, Philippines – Smart-Gilas Pilipinas defeated Chinese-Taipei in the quarterfinals of the ongoing FIBA Asia Championship, 95-78.

 

 

 

Naturalized Filipino Marcus Douthit led Gilas with 37 points.

Ranidel de Ocampo and Marcio Lassiter chipped in with 18 and 13 points, respectively.

Gilas led by 3 points at halftime before breaking away in the third quarter, leading as much as 15 points.

In the final quarter, Gilas had the biggest lead of the game at 19 points before Taipei made a final push in the last few minutes of the game.

Taipei came as close as 7 points before Gilas put them away for good in the final 2 minutes.

The win sent Gilas to a semi-finals match against Jordan.

The Philippine team defeated Jordan, 72-64, earlier in the tournament.

Jordan made it to the semi-finals by ousting defending champion Iran with an 88-84 victory.

The last time a Philippine team made it to the semis in the FIBA Asia Championship was in 1987.

...the Miss Swiss Earth for a cause

Fil-Swiss Miss Earth wants to promote green causes in PHL

09/23/2011
GMA News

Filipino-Swiss Miss Earth-Switzerland 2010 Liza Andrea Kuster, wants to promote environmental causes in the Philippines, where she was born more than 20 years ago.

A news release of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Kuster, a model and businesswoman, recently met with Ambassador to Switzerland Leslie Baja to convey this message.

According to the "Pageant Updates" website, Kuster said, if she ever won the Miss Earth contest, "I would collect money in Switzerland and donate it to the projects in Manila. The wish to help comes from the bottom of my heart."

Kuster also said, "Even at a young age, I have been involved in humanitarian and environmental projects."

Baja expressed support for Kuster's advocacy and encouraged her to visit the Philippines regularly to help promote environmental causes.

Although she was born in the Philippines to a Filipino mother and Swiss father, Kuster grew up in Switzerland.

During their meeting, Baja encouraged Kuster to inspire other second generation Filipinos in Switzerland to know more about the Philippines.

Baja also gave Kuster a tour of the the newly-opened "Sentro Rizal" at the Embassy Chancery.

The DFA said "Sentro Rizal" was one of the embassy’s projects this year for the 150th birth anniversary of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal.

Rizal visited Switzerland in 1887 and visited the cities of Basel, Geneva, Berne, Schaffhausen and Lausanne.

Forum of Filipino-Swiss professionals

Baja is scheduled to meet on September 24 in Zurich other second generation Filipinos belonging to an organization called Network of Integrated Pinoys or NOI-P, a group of Filipino-Swiss professionals.

The group was established last year to promote a greater awareness about the Philippines among second generation Filipinos.

There are around 10,000 Filipinos in Switzerland and are among the most respected foreign nationals in that country. - VVP, GMA News

...the Hans Manneby awardee

Pinay from Negros wins intl museum devt award

09/23/2011

GMA News

A Filipina — Elizabeth Cordova — will receive this year's Hans Manneby Memorial Fund Museum Development Award for her work in museum development in Negros Occidental.

According to a report of the Visayan Daily Star, Cordova, director of the "Museo sang Bata sa Negros" in Sagay City, will receive the award in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 10.

The Hans Manneby Memorial Fund Museum Development Award is given to a person who has worked in the spirit of Hans Manneby (1946-2008), an author and chairperson of Swedish ICOM, the International Council of Museums.

Cordova told the Visayan Daily Star that she will try her best "to live and work in his (Manneby's) legacy. I am very thankful to the Lord for this prize."

The report said Cordova was cited for her work at the Museo sang Bata sa Negros, a children’s "hands-on" museum that aims to stimulate their creative and intellectual potentials.

Cordova was nominated by another museum director from Africa.

Cordova shared that she will have an audience with the Queen of Sweden and other royalty who are very interested in projects for children. - VVP, GMA News

...the heel-less wedge

Pinoy designer gains intl fame for heel-less wedges

09/23/2011

GMA News

 

Young Filipino designer Kermit Tesoro gained fame in the international fashion scene as his tall, heel-less shoes strutted the London Fashion Week runway this month.

Photo from Maria Alyssa’s blog

Tesoro's heel-less wedges and skull heels were featured in the Spring/Summer 2012 collection of French-born designer Florian Jayet, who was part of the Fashion Mode show of the Vauxhall Fashion Scout last Sept. 17.

Tesoro has a degree in Visual Communications from the University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Fine Arts.

His footwear collection -- which comes in different designs like heelless wedges, stilletos, and booties -- are available online, with prices ranging from $300 to $800.

He also took up Fashion Design in the Fashion Institute of the Philippines, and Fashion Marketing at the School of Fashion and the Arts.

Tesoro has graced three consecutive Philippine Fashion Week events from 2009 to 2011.

Jayet, on the other hand, is a former intern for the famed British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who passed away last year. - Rose-An Jessica Dioquino, VVP, GMA News

Philippines competes in Bosch Power Tools Asia Cordless Race 2011 Finals in Beijing

INQUIRER.net

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

MANILA – “Team Siklab” from the Mapua Institute of Technology and “Team Drill Drivers” from University of the Philippines ME represented the Philippines that competed against eight other teams in the finals of the Bosch Power Tools Asia Cordless Race 2011 on Wednesday, September 21.

The competition, which also featured teams from South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia, was held at the foot of the Juyongguan Great Wall in Beijing, China.

The Philippine leg of the race took place recently at the Boomland Kart Track in Pasay City. The event was attended by over 1,000 participants, including contestants from eight of the country’s premier technical colleges and universities, where the Mapua Institute of Technology and University of the Philippines ME, Diliman emerged as champion and first runner-up.

“Bosch supports initiatives to craft technical and engineering innovations for the future ,” said William Go, Country Sales Director for Bosch Power Tools. Mr Go also cites the company’s aim to support and cultivate creativity in engineering and design among Filipino students, as well as to provide them with the experience, knowledge and skill sets to contribute to the economic development of the Philippines in the future.




Mapua engineering students shared their source of confidence in their bid for the Beijing championship. “The environment we have in our schools and the lessons we have learned are our basis in being positive and determined to meet the objective of winning this competition.”

As for the UP ME Drill Drivers from UP Diliman, they said, “Designing any machine is always a great and exciting challenge; a challenge that must be faced with the creativity and ingenuity that defines engineering. Driven by our engineering passion, team UP will rise to the challenge. See you at the checkered flag in Beijing!”