Philstage Gawad Buhay!’s 2015 Nominations Out

Wazzup Pilipinas!
Tanghalang Pilipino’s “Mabining Mandirigma,” a reappraisal in musical form of the heroism and legacy of Apolinario Mabini that featured the radical casting of a female actor in the role of the revolutionary patriot, took the lead in the 2015 nominations for the Gawad Buhay!, the Philstage Awards for the Performing Arts, with 13 nods in the performance and technical categories.

Following “Mabining Mandirigma” is the Philippine Educational Theater Association’s “Arbol de Fuego,” which transposed Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” to the haciendas of Negros in the martial law era, with 12 nominations.

Receiving 10 nominations each are 9 Works Theatrical’s production of the Broadway musical “La Cage aux Folles,” the Philippine premiere of Larry Kramer’s AIDS drama “The Normal Heart” staged by Actor’s Actors Inc. and The Necessary Theatre, and Ballet Philippines’ Christmas presentation “Peter Pan.”

Now on its eighth year, Gawad Buhay! is the first-ever industry awards exclusively for the performing arts juried by an independent panel of critics, scholars, artists and theater enthusiasts. Outstanding individual and group achievements in various artistic and technical aspects of play, musical and dance productions and performances are honored based on quarterly citations deliberated by members of the jury who are required to watch all productions of Philstage member-companies for the entire year.

PH Set to Become World’s Next Tourism Hub

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Tourism has become one of the major economic drivers in the Philippines, marked with strong, continued, and uninterrupted growth in both visitor arrivals and receipts, making the country ripe to become the world’s next tourism destination.

According to the Department of Tourism, tourism remained profitable and accounted for an estimated US$5.0 billion or P227.62 billion worth of international visitor receipts in 2015. This is 5.92% greater than the 2014 total earnings, with the month of December 2015 yielding the peak of all tourism activities at P23.47 billion and the month of September 2015 registering the highest growth of 24.24%.

Korea continued to be the top spending market with visitor spending amounting to P66.55 billion for the year 2015. The United States ranked second with P42.31 billion, followed by Australia with P12.83 billion, overtaking Japan which provided P12.20 billion to take the fourth spot. Completing the top five spending markets is China with visitor spending of P10.19 billion.

For the year 2015, tourists spend an average of P4,888.82. They also spent heavily last year, with an average per capita expenditure of P48,350.44. Their average length of stay in the country is registered at around 10 nights.

DOE Warns Public Against Patronizing "Bote-Bote" Gasoline/Diesel

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The Department of Energy (DOE) is reiterating its warning to the public of the dangers "bote-bote" may cause to lives and properties. This is with the observed rampant proliferation of illegal sale of liquid fuels (i.e., gasoline, diesel) in “bote-bote.”

Energy Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada strongly emphasized that “peddling of liquid fuels in any container, such as, soda bottles, plastic bottles, jugs and other similar portable containers are strictly prohibited,” which is stipulated under the existing Department Circular No. DC2003-11-010 also known as the Retail Rules. She also stressed that improper handling of liquid fuels may lead to accidental fire, illnesses due to inhalation of hazardous fumes, and undesirable effects to the environment.

The DOE notes that liquid fuels are highly combustible and flammable products, and therefore require proper storage and handling as provided under the Fire Code of the Philippines. Thus, as the country observes the National Fire Prevention Month spearheaded by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), "bote-bote" must not be patronized, especially following increase of cases of fire accidents during summer period.

In order to eliminate the bote-bote scheme, the DOE encourages persistent participation of the consuming public, mostly motorists, in this advocacy by buying from authorized and formal gas stations only, instead of patronizing illegal liquid fuel peddlers, as this does not assure the public of “proper fuel quality and right quantity.” The motorists should realize that they may actually be short changed, and end up spending more for repairs, or worse, accidents.