...the PH top grossing film of all time

How Hong Kong-set ‘Hello, Love, Goodbye’ became the Philippines’ top-grossing film of all time

• The film, which was also shot in the city, is the tale of a domestic worker and a playboy bartender, both Filipinos, who fall in love
• Experts and fans say it captures the lives of overseas Filipino workers, who finally feel seen after often being regarded as invisible in their daily jobs

Crystal Tai
South China Morning Post 
08 September 2019

Hello, Love, Goodbye is the hit film about the romance between a millennial

domestic worker

and a playboy bartender – and it’s now

the Philippines

’ top-grossing film of all time. Filmed and set in Hong Kong, the movie stars Kathryn Bernardo as Joy and Alden Richards as Ethan, a Filipino couple who inadvertently fall for each another while chasing their dreams and trying to make ends meet in the city.

‘Hello, Love, Goodbye’ stars Kathryn Bernardo as Joy and Alden Richards as Ethan. Photo: YouTube

Since its July 31 release, the film has earned more than US$44.8 million worldwide. Besides the Philippines, Hello, Love, Goodbye has also become the

highest-grossing Philippine film

in Australia, New Zealand and Britain.

In the Southeast Asian nation, 10 million people – a tenth of the population – work abroad, searching for better pay and opportunities to support their families. These overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) send home up to US$31 billion every year, roughly 10 per cent of the nation’s GDP, according to a 2018 National Geographic report.

Toni Magsaysay, a Manila-based graphic designer in her 20s who did her bachelor’s thesis on the lives of OFWs, said many Filipinos would be able to relate to the film.

“Many families have relatives working overseas,” she said. “They know the sacrifices made by each end. But at the same time, they do not entirely share all of the hardships from both sides, as to not make both sides worry too much.

While many OFWs are nurses, engineers and ship workers, Magsaysay adds that the majority are domestic workers.

Hong Kong, which employs 213,000 Filipinos as domestic workers according to 2019 statistics, is one of the top destinations for OFWs. E.J.R. David, a Filipino-American professor who teaches cross-cultural psychology at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, said many Filipinos see more opportunities in the likes of Hong Kong and Singapore than they do at home.

“In addition to featuring the plight of overseas domestic workers, which many folks can relate with, [Hello, Love, Goodbye] also tackles issues that are more universal like love, family, individuality, responsibility, and how they are all intertwined,” he said.

“Many of us can relate to these universal themes, because many of us in the diaspora are constantly trying our best to navigate this delicately tangled web of in our lives.”

David said that while the film was popular among Filipinos because it gave them a glimpse of what their loved ones might be going through, OFWs themselves would also find it powerful because they would “finally feel seen and appreciated when they are often regarded as invisible in their daily work”.

Hello, Love, Goodbye also breaks down stereotypes surrounding OFWs, according to Eian John Pascua, a graphic designer and fan of the film who is based in the Philippines. He said OFWs are often assumed to be earning a significantly higher amount of money, and are therefore expected to foot the bill for their families when it comes to items like new cellphones or shoes.

“That was one of the issues discussed subtly in the movie, when Joy’s siblings were asking if she could buy them stuff that was a bit pricey,” Pascua said.

For graphic designer Magsaysay, the film was also realistic in its depiction of the more gritty aspects of being a domestic worker living in Hong Kong. She cites a scene in which the characters picnic in crowded Victoria Park on their day off. “I remember my sister, who once lived in Hong Kong for a teaching job, telling me, ‘How they sit on cardboard [in the park] is really real’ when we watched the movie together.”

Due to their sacrifices, OFWs are often regarded as modern day heroes by their families, said David, the academic. “The country recognizes that it is largely dependent on the money that overseas Filipino workers send back,” he said, adding that research suggests more than a third of the Philippines’ population receives money from relatives working abroad.

David also points out the problem with many Filipinos having to part from their families just to survive.

“It is unfortunate the Philippines as a country has become dependent on this sacrifice, [that its] largest export is its people [and] providing for their family means having to leave them behind,” he said. “It’s a sad life when you realize that in order for your family to survive, then you need to serve others.”

...the UC professor

UC professor is first Asian, Filipino to helm

environmental law academy



Cris Evert Lato-Ruffalo
Cebu Daily News
23 August 2019

CEBU CITY, Philippines–Lawyer Rose Liza Eisma-Osorio of the University of Cebu is the newly-elected chairperson of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Academy of Environmental Law (IUCNAEL).

Eisma-Osorio teaches environmental law public and private international law, legal research and writing, and human rights law at the UC College of Law.

Osorio is also the Faculty Adviser and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Research in Law and Policy.

According to the news announcement published in the IUCNAEL website, Eisma-Osorio is also one of the faculty members who acts as official representative to the IUCNAEL.

One of the founders and managing trustee of the Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC), Eisma Osorio received the prestigious Tatak UP awards in 2018.UCNAEL noted that PEJC filed several environmental cases in the Philippines.

One of the cases is the  landmark decision of the Supreme Court in Resident Marine Mammals and Dolphins vs. Reyes where she (Eisma-Osorio was one of the “two lawyers who were recognized as the stewards of the dolphins and whales of Tañon Strait Protected Seascape in Central Philippines against illegal oil exploration in a protected seascape.”

Fellow environmental lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos congratulated Eisma-Osorio’s feat and described her as the first Filipino chairperson of the IUCNAEL.

The University of Cebu also congratulated Eisma-Osorio in a Facebook post saying that the UC Law senior professor was recently elected as chairman of the governing board of the IUCNAEL.

She is also reportedly the first person from Asia to hold the post.

The IUCNAEL is an international network of approximately 200 environmental law faculties and research centres from 60 countries.

Its academy secretariat is currently located at the University of Maryland, USA.

According to the IUCNAEL website, the Academy is “uniquely positioned in building environmental law education capacity and promoting the conceptual development of environmental law.”

“It recognizes that environmental legal education is a vital contributor to the rule of law and to robust environmental governance essential for sustainable development,” the statement reads. / celr

...the basketball Guinness title holder

Philippines Nets Guinness Record After Five-day basketball game

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By Cris Larano
Wall Street Journal
29 March 2014

Jacques Ruby (center), organizer of the 2014 Basketball Marathon, hoists the Guinness certificate presented by Turath Alsaraf, director of records at Guinness, declaring the Philippines’ attempt to hold the longest basketball marathon a success. The record now stands at 120 hours, 1 minute and 7.8 seconds, eclipsing the previous record set in the U.S. in 2012 by more than seven hours.

Cris Larano/The Wall Street Journal

MANILA–Any doubt about how basketball-crazy Filipinos are was laid to rest Saturday, when the Philippines grabbed the Guinness World Record for the longest basketball game ever played.

When referees blew their whistles to end the contest, the two teams had played a marathon game lasting 120 hours, one minute and 7.8 seconds.

That time eclipsed the previous Guinness record of 112 hours and 13 seconds set by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Missouri, in March 2012.

At the end of the five-day game, which started Mar. 24, Team Bounce Back had scored 16,783 points against Team Walang Iwanan, which netted 16,732. The previous record was set with a final score of 11,806 to 11,620 as Team Joplin defeated Team St. Louis in the U.S.

“These are 24 ordinary people that today accomplished something extraordinary,” said Jacque Ruby, who organized the 2014 Basketball Marathon in the Philippines in an attempt to win the Guinness title. “This triumph is something you cannot buy,” he said.

More than 1,500 people joined the marathon try outs held at the Rizal Technological University in December and January, but only 24 were finally selected. Three of the players – Jeff Moore, Tony Tatar and Chuck Williams – are Americans were part of the U.S. teams that held the previous record and provided the inspiration the Filipinos needed to reach their goal. Another was Maricar Convencido, a physical education teacher and the team’s only woman.

“We’re already joking with these guys that after this game we will have a rematch,” Mark Solano, one of the coaches that prepared the players to be mentally ready for the grueling five-day marathon, said with less than an hour left before the world record was set.

Mr. Solano said the toughest part of the competition came during the second and third days, when players started suffering fatigue, muscle soreness and lack of sleep.

“Guinness’ guidelines require that the players play in the spirit of the game,” said Mr. Solano, explaining that the players must remain competitive.

Guinness also requires that players do not leave the playing venue for the entire period of the marathon. At one point, two players from Team Walang Iwanan had to play more than five hours with a few minutes break to cover for injured teammates.

Dr. Isagani Leal, a doctor who specializes in musculoskeletal medicine and a consultant for the national basketball team Gilas Pilipinas, said that over the five-day marathon they had to provide intravenous fluid to a dehydrated player, treat a torn muscle and inject anesthesia so players could continue.

Owen Mabaga, a player for Walang Iwanan who suffered a sprain, said he had to keep it from his wife who was cheering from the sidelines.

“I didn’t want to worry her,” Mr. Mabaga said. “We started with 24, we will finish with 24.”
But the game wasn’t just a test of will and courage.

The basketball marathon is part of project Bounce Back Philippines, which aims to raise funds for “Operation Walang Iwanan” (Operation Stay Together), which will build 24 houses and a basketball court in Negros Occidential—an area devastated by Typhoon Haiyan last November.

Evan Lazana, who at 43 is one of the oldest Filipino players and a self-confessed basketball addict, said initially he wasn’t sure about trying out but made a go at it in January after learning the marathon was for a cause.

Mr. Lazana’s wife and kids flew from their hometown in Samar province to Manila on Friday to watch him help achieve the world record. After it was cinched, he said when he returns home the first thing he’ll do is sleep.

“I’ll probably rest for two days and get back to work. I don’t want to be jobless after this,” he said with a smile.

Mr. Moore, together with his American teammates, brought donations from the U.S., to support the effort.

“Distance should not determine who your brother is,” he said.

And while many of the players said they were looking forward to returning home, Walang Iwanan team member Hazel Foja said it wouldn’t be long before he’d take to the court again.

“When I get back, I’ll play more basketball,” he said.

 

...the walk of faith

INC bags Guinness for walkathon

            

By Evelyn Macairan

The Philippine Star

February 16, 2014

 

Thousands of Iglesia ni Cristo members join the ‘Worldwide Walk’ for Typhoon Yolanda victims along Roxas Boulevard in Manila yesterday. JOVEN CAGANDE

MANILA, Philippines - The Guinness World Record announced that the Iglesia ni Cristo is the new record holder of the biggest charity walk in a single venue, with 175,000 INC members pouring into Manila’s seaside avenue yesterday to join the Worldwide Walk aimed to raise funds for Typhoon Yolanda survivors.

Guinness adjudicator Kristy Bennet said INC beat Singapore’s The New Paper Big Walk 2000 that had 77,500 participants on May 21, 2000.

“INC, you are officially amazing,” Bennet said when she announced the result at the Quirino Grandstand last night.

The INC’s Worldwide Walk kicked off at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and ended at the footbridge along Roxas Boulevard near the United States embassy.

All those taking part bought special white t-shirts each costing P250 to wear during the march, with all the proceeds donated to help the typhoon victims.

“We would like to collect extra funds in order to continue helping the survivors of the super typhoon, of which the primary beneficiaries would be members of the church in the Visayas region, but that does not mean that they would be the only ones who would benefit from the funds generated… From the proceeds of the walk we would do the same even for the non-members,” said INC event spokesman Edwil Zabala.

The INC’s Worldwide Walk is also competing for the largest charity walk in a 24-hour continuous worldwide walk in multiple venues.

 

The current record holder is the one organized by the Green Communities in Canada that had 231,635 participants who walked for a minimum of one kilometer at 1,011 different locations in Canada on Oct. 2, 2007.

For the Worldwide Walk, the INC identified 140 sites including Metro Manila for the multiple sites category, of which 85 sites are in the Philippines and 55 sites are in other countries: 34 in the United States, six in Europe, 10 in Australia, and five in Asia.

Zabala said the 24-hour continuous walk started in New Zealand at 2 a.m. Philippine time yesterday and would end in Hawaii at 1 a.m. Philippine time today.

The Guinness is yet to announce the result for the largest charity walk in the multiple venues category.

About 800 policemen from the Manila Police District and the National Capital Region Police Office were deployed at the INC event. Based on MPD’s estimate, there were about 1.5 million people in the area, including the marshals.

Chief Senior Superintendent Gilbert Cruz, directorial staff of the MPD, said no untoward incident in connection with the event was monitored.

With the total closure of a stretch of Roxas Boulevard and several adjacent streets, the volume of traffic in Manila yesterday was lighter than expected. Classes in affected areas in Manila were suspended yesterday.

Chief Inspector Olivia Sagaysay, head of Manila’s traffic police, likened the flow of vehicles to that of a “regular day.”

She said although the traffic flow on Roxas Boulevard and other roads near the venue was affected, the participants cooperated with the police, making it easier for the authorities to handle the traffic situation. – With Aie Balagtas See, Eva Visperas

 

...the PH laundry record

Another world record for PH in laundry

by Carol Ramoran
08/24/2013 

 

                                              

HAND-WASHING CHALLENGE. Participants from around the metropolis show passion in laundry

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is now the Guinness World Record (GWR) holder for the most number of people hand-washing fabric simultaneously.

 

Amid the torrential rains on Saturday, August 17, women from different parts of the metropolis gathered at the University of Makati to hand-wash a 1,200 meter long fabric.

 

There were 2,132 women in all who participated in the effort.

 

AROUND THE WORLD. Guinness World Record Adjudicator Kristy Bennet shares how much she loves traveling around the world and seeing amazing feats

GWR Adjudicator Kristy Bennet flew in from their home office in London to oversee the attempt and validate the results. 47 independent local witnesses were also there to help her.

 

SOILED. Organizers of the event had to soil the fabric before it will be washed by over two thousand women.

The 1,200 meter-long cloth was soaked in grape juice, ink, and chocolate milk before the hand-washing started.

 

“These stains were used because they are often the most difficult stains mom’s encounter when washing their children’s clothes,” said Unilever Research and Development Manager Amor Prieto.

 

ALL CLEAN. Participants show the results

 

NEW RECORD! Bennet presents the results to the people behind the event: Host Tin Caballero - Aplal, Unilever and Breeze's Mara Banson, Jay Go, Nikki Abella, and celebrity guest Tessa Prieto-Valdes

The Philippines exceeded the record set by Vietnam where 1,968 people washed a 400 meter-long cloth. - Rappler.com

 

 

...the PH historic moments

Historic moments in Philippine basketball and stocks
            

PHILEQUITY CORNER

By Valentino Sy

The Philippine Star

August 19, 2013

 

 

Last Aug. 10, 2013, the Philippine national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, won against South Korea. It was a momentous game in Philippine basketball history, one that is considered a once-in-a-generation achievement. With the win, the team assured itself of at least a silver medal finish in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship. More importantly, the win allowed the team to qualify for the World Championships after a 35-year absence. It also marked the 1st time that the Philippines defeated South Korea in a high-level basketball game since 1985.

Beating the perennial tormentor

Before this game, South Korea had been a perennial tormentor of the Philippines in basketball. South Korea defeated the Philippines in the 1986 Asian Games, 1987 Asian Basketball Confederation Championship, 1998 Asian Games, 2002 Asian Games, 2009 FIBA Asia Championship, 2010 Asian Games and 2011 FIBA Asia Championship.

This time around, the Koreans, with their size, seamless execution and smooth outside shooting, were poised to deal the Philippine squad another heartbreaking loss. The outlook got particularly bleak when the Philippine team’s naturalized center, Marcus Douthit, went down with a calf injury and sat down the game’s entire 2nd half. With the odds stacked against it, Gilas miraculously found a way to fight back and fight strong. The team rallied behind the strength of its 6th man – the hometown crowd.

The strength of a nation

The 20,000-strong crowd in the MOA Arena supported their team through and through. They cheered every time Gilas had possession and jeered every time Korea had the ball. The raucous crowd cheered with a purpose, repeatedly chanting the words “puso” and “laban.” The crowd’s support was so strong that the Korean coach later on admitted that the pressure affected their ability to focus and execute in the last quarter. As Gilas team captain Jimmy Alapag said, “We had the strength of a

All heart

Korea proved to be a formidable opponent. Even as it was playing against the hometown crowd, the Korean team continued its flawless execution and cold-blooded shooting down the stretch. But this time around, the heart of the Filipinos would not be denied. Gilas was spurred by the daredevil drives of guard Jayson Castro, the savvy plays of forward Ranidel de Ocampo, the clutch triples of guard Jimmy Alapag and the never-say-die attitude of injured forward Marc Pingris. The Filipinos more than matched the Koreans – basket for basket and hustle for hustle – in order to win the game. In the end, Marc Pingris summarized what drove the team’s efforts: “We did this for our country. We made a lot of sacrifices. In the PBA, we play for pay. But here, we’ll die to win for our country.”

Writing your own history

The Philippine team’s win against South Korea put Philippine basketball back on the world map. Below, we summarize some of the more memorable quotes from the players and coach of Gilas as they weighed in on this historic achievement.

Gilas team captain Jimmy Alapag: It’s the most precious moment in my career. This means more than a PBA championship. This is so much deeper. This is for our country.

Gilas forward Japeth Aguilar: It wasn’t only our dream that was fulfilled but the dream of every Filipino.

Gilas center Marcus Douthit: Everybody on this team and the organization are now part of history – that’s the most amazing feeling.

Gilas coach Chot Reyes: There’s no greater opportunity in life than to write your own history. This team just wrote it tonight.

Historic moments for the economy

Just like the Philippine team’s achievement in basketball, our country was able to deliver a number of historic feats in the financial and economic fronts. We are fortunate to have witnessed these in our lifetime. We enumerate these below.

1. Fastest growing country in Asia. In 1Q2013, the Philippines became the fastest growing country in Asia. Our country’s 7.8-percent 1Q2013 GDP growth edged China’s 7.7 percent. With problems hounding most emerging markets, our country’s high growth rate stands out as something exceptional.

2. Investment grade. In 1H2013, our country received its 1st and 2nd investment grade rating upgrades from Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poors. These credit rating upgrades are affirmations of the magnificent economic turnaround that our country has undergone.

3. Peso tops out. We saw the bottom of the peso vs. the US dollar at 56.50 in October 2005. We wrote about it and we cited the reasons why the peso will continue to strengthen for years to come (Peso, the Strongest Currency in Asia, Oct. 24, 2005). After eight long years of strengthening, we may have witnessed history again as the peso may have topped-out at 40.45 last March 2013 (The Peso Tops Out, May 27, 2013).

4. Worldwide recognition for finance leaders. Two of the country’s important finance leaders have recently received international acclaim. Department of Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima was named Finance Minister of the Year 2012 by Euromoney. Also, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. was named Central Banker of the Year for Asia Pacific by the Banker, while being consistently rated as one of the world’s top central bankers by Global Finance.

Historic moments in the stock market
The resurgence of the Philippine economy has fueled the strong performance of our stock market. Below, we enumerate some of the important milestones that our stock market has achieved.
1. Opportunity of a generation. Amidst the carnage of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, we said that the bear market would present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make huge amounts of money in the stock market (Opportunity of a Generation, Nov. 3, 2008). The important and ominous bottom of the S&P500, which we correctly called in 2009 (666 on 3-6-9, April 13, 2009), marked the start of the very powerful bull market that we are witnessing now.

2. 111 new all-time highs. The PSE Index rebounded strongly from the 2008 global bear market and eventually topped its October 2007 high of 3,897. Past that previous record high, the PSE Index established 111 new record highs as it reached the new all-time high of 7,404. The current all-time high is 90 percent higher than the 2007 high and 339 percent higher than the last bear market bottom.

3. Silver medal in the stock market. Even as most global indices moved higher in 2012, the Philippine stock market still managed to stand out. Last year, the PSE Index delivered a return of 33 percent, 2nd best in the world.

4. Largest trading volume. The local stock market’s year-to-date value traded for 2013 has already exceeded P890 billion. Even though we are not yet done with the year, 2013 value traded has already surpassed the full-year trading volume of any of the previous years.

5. Largest IPO/re-IPO. Last April 2013, LT Group (LTG) set the record for the largest IPO or re-IPO in the Philippines. Its P37.7-billion equity offering was many times oversubscribed and was well-received by global investors. This showed the growing awareness and interest of foreign investors in the Philippines and the local stock market.

Selfless leaders write history

The monumental achievement of Gilas Pilipinas would not have been possible if not for the efforts, dedication and resources of Manny Pangilinan (MVP). His dream was to bring Philippine basketball back in the world map. More importantly, he had the long-term vision to stick with this dream through thick and thin. We are fortunate to have MVP because he is someone who has a deep love for country and is willing to work for something beyond himself. It was MVP that put the national team in the position to achieve beyond expectations and write history anew.

This is the same type of vision, dedication and love of country that has driven our country to turn. From the late President Cory Aquino to current President Noynoy Aquino, we benefited from the efforts of dedicated and selfless leaders who dreamed of a better Philippines. This is why our economy and our stock market can perform strongly and continue to defy expectations.

Learning from history

As we witness history unfold for Philippine basketball, it is important for us to appreciate the national team’s achievements and understand why these milestones were attained. This appreciation may similarly be applied to better understand the reasons behind the historic events that take place in the local stock market, the Philippine peso and our economy. A deeper understanding of history and the causes of the lows, highs and turns of the stock market and the Philippine peso, as we have explained in our previous Philequity Corner articles, can give one the rationale for one’s investment decisions.