The World’s Smallest Homes

Wazzup Pilipinas!
As we grapple with the housing-backlog issue, perhaps these tiny yet sustainable homes may provide an answer

According to McKinsey Global Institute, addressing the worldwide shortage of affordable housing could cost $16 trillion by 2025. On the top 50 cities facing an affordability gap, New York tops the list, with Mexico City being the 15th hardest place to find a reasonably priced home. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and Manila also make the list.

Home-builders and owners are starting to think laterally in reaction to the shortage of available space. Tiny homes or “micro homes” are growing in popularity. But it is not just the global housing crisis that is driving the small house movement. Some people are moving for economic reasons, green living, simpler living, and the shared economy is making ownership of equipment less of a necessity. Lamudi has taken a look around the world and discovered some of the most inspiring micro homes across the planet.


Colorado Couple Go Small and Make a Film

Christopher Smith and his partner decided they had had enough of city living and decided they would live in a 124-square-foot (11.52 square meters) mobile in the middle of nowhere. It has a small galley kitchen, a sleeping loft, and for storage, they use built-in bookshelves. Their documentary is called “A Story About Living Small.”



German Efficiency

Renzo Piano, famed for London’s Shard, has recently turned his attentions to micro homes. “Diogene” is a prototype for a tiny house built for Vitra—a German furniture company. Amazingly, it collects, cleans, and reuses water, and supplies its power through solar modules. The house is just 79 square feet (7.340 square meters).

Tofarm Film Festival 2017: Planting the Seeds of Change

Wazzup Pilipinas!
 

Universal Harvester, Inc. (UHI) lights up the silver screen with six new and original films to mark the second edition of the TOFARM Film Festival.

“We are very pleased to announce that the TOFARM Film Festival 2017 bears new fruits that affirm Filipino film making genius,” says award-winner Maryo J. De Los Reyes, TOFARM Film Festival director.

“These exciting new films aim to capture a greater audience with their commercial and mass appeal, not to mention the inclusion of young and veteran actors among the cast members,” he adds.

The six official entries were chosen from more than a hundred scripts submitted to the screening committee. Shortlisting the entries alone was no easy task as the numbers of entrants rose to 113 from 76 submitted last year.

“The figures alone are a sure sign that we achieved one of our goals during the previous TOFARM Film Festival, and that is to elicit awareness and excitement among filmmakers to craft films that reflect the life of Filipino farmers,” De Los Reyes observes.

3 Transpo GOCCs Transmit P6-B Dividends to Government

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Three state-owned agencies under the Department of Transportation were among the top corporations to transmit the highest dividends to government coffers in May.

The Manila International Airport Authority remitted PHP2.26 billion, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines remitted PHP1.98 billion, and the Philippine Ports Authority remitted PHP1.95 billion worth of dividends.

The three Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) are among the top 5 state-owned companies to remit the highest dividends to the National Treasury, making up the bulk of the total PHP14.02-billion turned over to the government for 2016. The figure is around seven times higher than 2015 remitted dividends.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade instructed CAAP to remit under his term, after not turning over PHP6.31 billion worth of dividends to the National Treasury from 2011 - 2015.

Other transportation agencies among the top GOCCs to remit dividends are the Cebu Port Authority (PHP295-million) and the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (PHP170-million).

In a bid to enhance transparency and increase revenue, the Department of Finance earlier revised the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 7656 or the Dividend Law. Under the new IRR, corporate income tax returns filed with the Bureau of Internal Revenue will be used for the dividend computation.

The transparency measure is consistent with Secretary Tugade's anti-corruption efforts. He also directed revenue-generating agencies under the DOTr to improve collection in order to contribute to government funds.

“We are not just a policy-making agency. We are also generating revenue contributing to the National Treasury in order to help fund projects and programs of the administration. Kaya ang bilin ko sa GOCCs, sundin niyo ang batas at ibigay ang tama at nararapat sa gobyerno,” Tugade said.