PPA, PCG Provide Swift Assistance After Mindanao Quake

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Following the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that hit several parts of Mindanao this morning, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), both attached agencies of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), immediately mobilized to aid affected citizens.

DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade directed the PPA and PCG to exhaust all efforts in providing the necessary help and support to local and provincial governments.

“Sa loob ng isang linggo, dalawang lindol ang nagdaan sa Mindanao. Sa panahong ito, tayo ay magkaisa at magkapit-bisig upang matulungan ang ating mga kababayan. Gawin natin ang lahat ng ating makakaya na maihatid ang anumang tulong na kailangan ng publiko,” Secretary Tugade stressed.

Shortly after the transportation chief’s directive, PPA General Manager Jay Santiago instructed all Project Management Offices (PMOs) in affected areas to properly coordinate with the local Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Local Government Units (LGUs), and local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices (DRRMOs) on how they can offer assistance in disaster management efforts.

“We are ready to provide assistance to affected areas. PPA is ready to help in whatever way we can. We are one with government, in prayer and in action, to restore immediately what has been damaged by the quake,” he said.

GM Santiago also ordered PMOs to send bottled water and non-perishable food to evacuation areas, provide additional port personnel, and reallocate available Malasakit supplies for the aid of earthquake victims.

Additionally, GM Santiago directed to prioritize cargoes and personnel that are intended for rescue and disaster management efforts.

For the PCG’s part, Coast Guard Commandant Vice Admiral Joel Garcia initiated the deployment of all PCG assets available to affected areas in Davao City, Davao del Sur, and Cotabato.

Upon Secretary Tugade’s instructions, Commandant Garcia ordered the deployment of all PCG K-9 search and rescue dogs to assist in the lookout for possible missing persons affected by the earthquake. Likewise, all Coast Guard units in Mindanao were instructed to deploy half of their personnel and all transport vehicles and ambulances to augment rescue operations.

Doctors and nurses from the PCG and PCG Auxiliary were also tapped to deliver medical assistance to injured victims.

To show their utmost support, Garcia announced that Coast Guard vessels will be on standby to aid in the shipment of relief goods and other form of assistance from non-government organizations and the private sector to help affected victims.

"PCG vessels were deployed nationwide to help in the shipment of relief goods and other form of assistance from non-government organizations and private sectors as soon as possible in order to augment the needs of the victims,” Garcia stated.

Furthermore, a PCG Islander 251 wing plane with K-9 units and 500 handheld radios onboard will be deployed tomorrow to enhance search and rescue operations all over Mindanao.

DADA: The Chika Minutes by The UP Repertory Company

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Bakla at Lesbiyan, Bisexual at Trans, Straight man o Queer, anuman ang iyong SOGIE: mag-ingay at chumika, sumama sa pagDADA!

On November 2019, the UP Repertory Company opens its 47th production season with DADA: THE CHIKA MINUTES¸a performance of LGBTQIA++ stories.

DADA: The Chika Minutes is a documentary theatre performance of various narratives from the LGBTQIA++ community, exploring documentary merged with the company's own art form, tula dula (a poem written in verse, acted out in mime). With 16 segments of a spectra of LGBTQIA++ narratives, DADA will be tackling the real life experiences of kids to OFWs to pageant queens to sex workers to community builders and activists. In this period of intense hate crimes, controversies and fake news about SOGIE, we bring the stories of the LGBTQIA++ you might have missed.

With the dramaturgy of Ligaya Sinfuego, additional choreography by Michelle Alde, and choreography and direction by Jasper Villasis and Malvin Ramos.

Kaya sumama na’t makichika sa DADA: The Chika Minutes! Kung hindi, magiging baklang hamburger ka! Cheka!


DADA: THE CHIKA MINUTES will be staged this coming November 28 and 29 (7pm) and November 30 (3pm and 7pm).

It will be held at Plenary Hall, Arts and Design West Hall, College of Fine Arts, UP Diliman.

For details on tickets and show venue, please contact Hillary Guevara at 0906 626 0900.

Instituto Cervantes’ PELÍCULA Spanish Film Festival concludes in Iloilo

Wazzup Pilipinas!

From November 7 to 9, Instituto Cervantes will be holding the final leg of the PELÍCULA Spanish Film Festival, now on its 18th edition, at the Cinematheque Center in Iloilo City. A selection of films from the Festival will be screened in their original Spanish version with subtitles in English. Tickets are free of charge.

The Festival will kick off on November 7, at 6:30pm, with the Argentinean black comedy El cuento de las comadrejas (The Weasels’ Tale), which won the “Premio del Público / Audience Choice Award” of PELICULA 2019. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Juan José Campanella, this movie is about a famous actress, an actor, a film director and screenplay writer who were popular during the Golden Age of Cinema, doing the impossible to preserve the world they created.

On November 8, at 6:30pm, the Festival will continue with another comedy, Mi obra maestra (Gastón Duprat, 2018). The film is about two friends with very different personalities: Arturo, a charming and unscrupulous art dealer, and Renzo, a sullen painter whose fame has declined. Arturo tries to relaunch the artistic career of his friend, but things get from bad to worse, until they come up with an extremely ludicrous plan. The movie got the Audience Award at the Valladolid International Film Festival in 2018.

On November 9, at 4:00pm, the popular Spanish comedy El mejor verano de mi vida (Dani de la Orden, 2018) will be screened. Curro, an unlucky salesman burdened with debt, tries to fulfill his promise to his son to go on an unforgettable summer holiday.

Finally, the Festival will close with the drama El reino (Rodrigo Sorogoyen, 2018) at 6:30 PM. A film that has received more than 30 awards worldwide, the story shows a very interesting insight into contemporary politics and corruption. It is about a Spanish politician who enjoys the good life, while enriching himself with public funds. When a friend and fellow member of his political party gets accused of corruption, he tries to cover up for him, against the directives of the leaders of his party.



Presented by Instituto Cervantes, the Embassy of Spain, AECID, the UP Film Institute, UPFI Film Center, TurEspaña, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, PELÍCULA is made possible by Rustan’s, The PTC Group of Companies, the Cinematheque Center of Iloilo, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in The Philippines, TBA Studios, Netflix, and the Spanish restaurants La Picara, Barcino, Bar Pintxos, Tapella, and Pablo Bistro.

For the schedule, line-up of films and further information on the Festival, please visit the Facebook page of Instituto Cervantes: www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila