DOST-SEI Boosts Scholarship Programs

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) revealed recent developments regarding its scholarship programs, which include an increase in the number of slots being offered and a higher monthly stipend rate for all its scholars.

DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña and DOST-SEI Director Josette Biyo made the announcement in a press conference held last July 18 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila. 

The event coincides with the celebration of the 2018 National Science and Technology Week (NSTW), which Biyo considers an opportune time to drum up the public’s interest in DOST’s scholarship program.

DOST-SEI recently posted the names of 8,994 new qualifiers for its undergraduate scholarships, the biggest batch since the program started in 1958. 

Biyo hopes to further increase the number of scholars being supported in by DOST-SEI from 20,618 in 2016 to a target number of 33,256 scholars for 2019.

Scholars will also benefit from the increased monthly stipend of 7,000 pesos per month from the previous amounts of 5,000 to 6,000 pesos. 

This is in addition to the 40,000 pesos per year tuition and other school fees subsidy, 10,000 pesos per year book allowance, one-time 1,000-peso uniform allowance; one-time 1,000-peso graduation allowance, one economy-class round trip fare per year for those studying outside their home province, and group insurance. 

“Through the new benefits in our scholarship program, we hope to get more scholars and graduates who will eventually work in S&T for the country,” de la Peña said.

Biyo acknowledged top scholar-graduates, Ruben James Rosal and John Kenneth Malilay, who joined the panel to share their experiences as DOST scholars. “The testimonies of our scholars are always the best proof of the effectiveness of our programs,” she said.

Interested Grade 12 students are encouraged to submit their applications for the 2019 DOST-SEI Undergraduate Science and Technology Scholarship until August 31, 2018. Examination will be on October 21, 2018. 

Incoming 3^rd year college students taking identified S&T programs are likewise invited to apply in the Junior Level Science Scholarship (JLSS) program. JLSS application ends on September 14, 2018. Examination is scheduled on October 20, 2018. For details, you may log on to www.sei.dost.gov.ph or email seischolarships@gmail.com.

Short Film on T'boli Tops CCP's Gawad Alternatibo

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A film about a T’boli dancer, who experiences a sudden turn of events in her pursuit of a good life for her family, bagged first prize in the Short Feature category and Best Regional Entry at the 30th Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video awards night held last August 6 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Tanghalang Manuel Conde.

Rufyla, Coleen Tanco‘s capstone project under the digital filmmaking program of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Design and Arts (SDA) bested more than a hundred entries in the said category. The young filmmaker hails from Koronadal City, South Cotabato.

“Rufyla started when our house helper left us in her pursuit to get married to a foreigner. She is a 23-year-old girl who desired for a good life even if it took her to a red-light district in Manila. She believes that only a wealthy man can save her from poverty. As luck would have it, she nailed it,” the Benilde alumna explained when asked what inspired her to make her thesis film.

“I hope the film will create and build a language that helps delineate what it means to be living in a remote area in the southern part of the Philippines. I also hope that the film will root for the indigenous people and make everyone aware not to treat the Filipino culture like a worthless material,” Tanco added after learning about her twin victories.

In addition, other Benilde entries E and Ang Kabit ni Papa won honorable mention in the Experimental category. Directed by Benilde film alumnus, and now humanities and literature professor Jose Mojica, E zeroes in on a man who wakes up in an unfamiliar room and sees a mirror for the first time. By looking at himself, he discovers sexuality and sin.

Meanwhile, Ang Kabit ni Papa by Benilde film student Robin Estargo is an experimental drama which focuses on a boy’s recollection of memories of his father who works abroad. The film explores confined rooms and empty spaces, with an unending fear of being discovered for telling the uneasiness in this what-could-have-been relationship.

“Since I was born, my father has always traveled abroad to work with no other choice. We rarely see each other in a year, and whenever we do, we rarely talk. It is this separation that makes us move away from each other inch by inch through time, that there is this fear that our relationship in the future would be non-existent,” Estargo revealed.

“Through time, I have met friends who have Overseas Filipino Worker parents as well, with some having more unfortunate conditions than mine. This separation results to doubt, sparking conflict in the family, as the child does not know the distant lifestyle of the parent, and vice versa,” the young filmmaker concluded.

Rufyla is the first in BenildeFilm’s 10-year history to win the grand prize in the Gawad Alternatibo. The department came close to accomplishing the feat in 2018 when Benilde films dominated the 29th Gawad by bagging four of five awards, with the first prize going to Sa Saiyang Isla of Christian Candelaria from the University of the Philippines Film Institute.

Last year, Benildean filmmakers also shone in the Gawad Alternatibo’s Short Feature category. Alfonso Silva bagged second place for his short film Proxy. Andrea Arias and Mia Rosero placed third for their entry Auntwo Susan. Tim Rone Villanueva and Vince Sevillano got honorable mention awards for Santa Nena! and Ma’am La, respectively.

Rufyla is also among the short films that will compete at FACINE 25: The 25th Annual Filipino International Cine Festival from October 18 to 21 in San Francisco, California.
Established in 1987, Gawad Alternatibo is considered the longest-running independent film festival and competition of its kind in the ASEAN region. A few years ago, it became one of the major components of the annual Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.

https://youtu.be/KQEdfMRBn8U

Meizu M6T Officially Launched With Dual Camera, Long Battery Life

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Meizu M6T model was officially unveiled by Meizu Technology. It comes with colorful polycarbonate body, 5.7-inch all-screen display, dual-camera configuration for its rear camera, stable and strong performance guaranteed by its eight-core processor, and its 3300mAh battery ideal for gamers. Backed up with the new Flyme AI acceleration system, it naturally becomes the benchmark that interprets the pure expression of contemporary smartphones. M6T comes with standard 3GB internal memory and three colors: Champagne Gold, Meteorite Black, and Coral Red. 

Gorgeous Colorful Body Like Summer Flowers

Meizu M6T will sway the youthful strokes in the form of its polycarbonate molding with colors of Champagne Gold, Meteorite Black, and Coral Red. The surface is perfected with PPG master paint, which excels at its sturdiness and durability. It’s tough enough to fence off any stains and to keep its brand-new appearance. With its light weight of only 145g, it gains the spirit of keeping up with the times. With its 5.7-inch HD+ all-screen display, M6T is enchanting, delicate on the touch. Its In-Cell complete fit screen technology lights up the screen with all the stories took place in youth time. The fresh Super mBack full-screen gesture interaction is also embedded in the new design. The classic “small circle” brings mBack to the screen by pressure and returns with a light touch, which is considered Meizu’s classic operation. It feels like summer blossoms with the bright screen on, while as quiet as the autumn leaves falling off the tree when it is in standby mode. 

The Latest and The Most Affordable Dual Camera Benchmark for Smartphones

M6T comes with rear facing dual camera backed up by virtual hardware, and it is revolutionary for these affordable smartphones to be no longer restrained on a single camera. In the 13MP + 2MP dual camera combination, M6T main camera adopts the high-performance Sony IMX278 RGBW four-color sensor, which allows the camera to take in more external light and enhances its low light photographing performance. It is now possible to freeze the time and save every wonderful moment on bright color photographs for anybody, especially young adults.

In addition to enhancing low-light shooting at the hardware level, the adoption of multi-frame synthesis noise reduction technology also enhances M6T’s low-light performance. The secondary camera responsible for distance measurement makes the background blurry effect even more powerful. In summary, this very affordable smartphone can achieve the same performance as DSLR cameras and shoot exciting photos with large depth of field. it sure will create a shocking wave in the smartphone industry.

The front facing, Samsung customized 8MP beautification camera makes M6T easy for self-portraits and video calls. The Rainbow Soft Beautification algorithm is better at presenting your fine-tuned facial skin tone with Flyme’s support, and each selfie is your own avatar. 

Consistent Performance, Longer Standby Time

With its internal memory starting at 3GB, Meizu M6T uses the eight-core processor that had been carefully polished over the years. Supplemented by Flyme system’s optimization on memory utilization and application startup, four 1.5 GHz cores focusing on performance and four 1.0GHz cores focusing on endurance are ready to deal with every single one of the mainstream games. Mali-T860 graphics processor and Flyme operating system (game mode) give you all the capability you’ve never seen before for easy control of “The Fifth Personality” and other popular video games from both hardware and software standpoints on the 5.7-inch all-screen display.

In addition to enhancing low-light shooting at the hardware level, the adoption of multi-frame synthesis noise reduction technology also enhances M6T’s low-light performance. The secondary camera responsible for distance measurement makes the background blurry effect even more powerful. In summary, this very affordable smartphone can achieve the same performance as DSLR cameras and shoot exciting photos with large depth of field. it sure will create a shocking wave in the smartphone industry.

The front facing, Samsung customized 8MP beautification camera makes M6T easy for self-portraits and video calls. The Rainbow Soft Beautification algorithm is better at presenting your fine-tuned facial skin tone with Flyme’s support, and each selfie is your own avatar. 

Consistent Performance, Longer Standby Time

With its internal memory starting at 3GB, Meizu M6T uses the eight-core processor that had been carefully polished over the years. Supplemented by Flyme system’s optimization on memory utilization and application startup, four 1.5 GHz cores focusing on performance and four 1.0GHz cores focusing on endurance are ready to deal with every single one of the mainstream games. Mali-T860 graphics processor and Flyme operating system (game mode) give you all the capability you’ve never seen before for easy control of “The Fifth Personality” and other popular video games from both hardware and software standpoints on the 5.7-inch all-screen display.

Meizu M6T is equipped with 3300mAh high-capacity battery, which is a 10% increase over the previous generation, and gives you one more reason to fall in love with it. With the safety guarantee from well-known manufacturer like ATL, and with the thorough power optimization from the Flyme system, M6T has excellent battery performance, resulting in a longer service life, and bid farewell to the embarrassing situation of multiple charging within the day.

IT WILL COME OUT IN THE PHILIPPINE MARKET SOON.