Pinoy-made Ocean Waste Collector and Dengue Mapper to Join the NASA Global Hackathon

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A deployable, autonomous ocean waste collection system utilizing space data to locate nearby garbage patches built by students from De La Salle University and an automated information portal which correlates dengue cases with real-time data from satellite, climate, and search engines won the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's International Space Apps Challenge last October 18-20, 2019 in Manila, in collaboration with the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCIEERD), Animo Labs technology business incubator, PLDT InnoLab, American Corner Manila, the U.S. government, and part of the Design Week Philippines with Department of Trade and Industry-Design Center of the Philippines.

Upper row Associate American Corner librarian Donna Lyn G. Labangon, Space Apps leader Dr. Paula S. Bontempi, former DICT Usec. Monchito B. Ibrahim, Animo Labs executive director Mr. Federico C. Gonzalez, DOST-PCIEERD deputy executive director Engr. Raul C. Sabularse, PLDT Enterprise Core Business Solutions vice president and head Joseph Ian G. Gendrano, lead organizer Michael Lance M. Domagas, and Animo Labs program manager Junnell E. Guia. Lower row Janos Lance L. Tiberio, Samantha Maxine Santos, Grant Lewis Bulaong, and Antonio Miguel S. Alejo of Ocean's 4 who developed PaWiKAN.

Using NASA's Ocean Surface Current Analysis Real-time (OSCAR) data to determine possible locations of ocean garbage patches using GPS, PaWiKAN uses a pair of deployable, dynamically reconfigurable boats capable of trapping and returning ocean waste back to ground. It is equipped with extended-range radio system based on LoRa technology and Arduino to communicate with sensors and controlled by a deployment station. It was developed by Lasallian electronics and communications engineering students Samantha Maxine Santos, Antonio Miguel S. Alejo, Grant Lewis Bulaong, and Janos Lance L. Tiberio of Ocean's 4, who also joined the last year's hackathon, creating a hyper-casual puzzle game utilizing images from the Hubble Space Telescope and intuitive physics concepts.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCuPRzuEhdI



"Our global bodies of water are actually littered with plastics. This is a very futuristic solution to help get rid of plastics currently floating or submerged in global waters. It is timely and relevant solution," according to Monchito B. Ibrahim, Industry Development Committee Chairman of the Analytics Association of the Philippines and former undersecretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Upper row Associate American Corner librarian Donna Lyn G. Labangon, Space Apps leader Dr. Paula S. Bontempi, former DICT Usec. Monchito B. Ibrahim, Animo Labs executive director Mr. Federico C. Gonzalez, DOST-PCIEERD deputy executive director Engr. Raul C. Sabularse, PLDT Enterprise Core Business Solutions vice president and head Joseph Ian G. Gendrano, lead organizer Michael Lance M. Domagas, and Animo Labs program manager Junnell E. Guia. Lower row Dominic Vincent D. Ligot, Frances Claire Tayco, Mark Toledo, and Jansen Dumaliang Lopez of Aedes project.

With 271,480 dengue cases resulting in 1,107 deaths as reported from January 1 to August 31, 2019 by the World Health Organization, the Aedes Project team composed of Dominic Vincent D. Ligot, Mark Toledo, Frances Claire Tayco, and Jansen Dumaliang Lopez developed a forecasting model of dengue cases using climate and digital data and pinpointing possible hotspots from satellite data. Correlating information from Sentinel-2 Copernicus and Landsat 8 satellites, DOST-PAGASA for climate, and trends from search engines, potential dengue hotspots will be displayed in a web interface. Indices like Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are used in identifying areas with green vegetation while Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) to identify areas with water. Combining these indices reveal potential areas of stagnant water capable of being breeding grounds of mosquitoes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzpI775XoY0



"It benefits the community especially those countries suffering from malaria and dengue, just like the Philippines. I think it has a global impact. This is the new science to know the potential areas where dengue might occur. It is a good app," said Engr. Raul C. Sabularse, deputy executive director of DOST-PCIEERD.


"It is very relevant to the Philippines and other countries which usually having problems with dengue. The team was able to show that it's not really difficult to have all the data you need and integrate all of them and make them accessible to everyone for them to be able to use it. It's a working model. It is something can actually be made usable in a short span of six months," Mr. Ibrahim said.

Biological oceanographer Dr. Paula S. Bontempi, acting deputy director of the Earth Science Mission, NASA's Science Mission Directorate and the current leader of the Space Apps global organizing team.

Space Apps leader Dr. Paula S. Bontempi, the acting deputy director of the Earth Science Mission, NASA's Science Mission Directorate was impressed of these solutions presented in Manila, "The top two are really good. There were definitely a few projects right behind them. There is a lot of good talent out there. It was nice to see."


Rex Lor from United Nations Development Programme in the Philippines commended the use of the Sustainable Development Goals on Good Health and Well-Being, and Life Below Water of the winning solutions showcasing the "pivotal role of cutting-edge digital technologies in the creation of strategies for sustainable development in the face of evolving development issues."


Both champions will join teams around the world to be evaluated by NASA to approximately select the top 30 projects as global finalists in early December, and the top six winners will be announced in January 2020. Winners shall be invited to visit the NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at Florida in 2020.


Last year, team iNON used a citizen science platform by NASA to develop an application seeking to communicate scientific data to fishermen even without Internet connection, which led them to victory as the first Pinoy global winner. Their project called ISDApp is currently being incubated by Animo Labs.

Pinoy hackers going deep into addressing real-world problems on Earth and space.

University president Br. Raymundo B. Suplido FSC hopes that NASA Space Apps would "encourage our young Filipino researchers and scientists to create ideas and startups based on space science and technology, and pave the way for the promotion and awareness of the programs of our own Philippine space agency."


Vice President Leni Robredo recognized Space Apps as a platform "where some of our country's brightest minds can collaborate in finding and creating solutions to our most pressing problems, not just in space, but more importantly here on Earth."


"Space Apps is a community of scientists and engineers, artists and hackers coming together to address key issues here on Earth. At the heart of Space Apps are data that come to us from spacecraft flying around Earth and are looking at our world," as explained by Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for science.


#SpaceApps #SpaceAppsPH

37th Luna Awards to Hail the Best of PH Cinema and Laud Sine Sandaan Luminaries

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The 37th Luna Awards, with its Awards Ceremony took place on November 30, Saturday, was unique in several ways. Firstly, the Luna Awards 2019 is a special edition because it takes place during the year-long celebration of the centenary of Philippine Cinema. The Luna Awards Night will feature a special segment on the One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema to continue and propagate its commemoration that was mandated in Presidential Proclamation No. 622, Series of 2018, which declared September 12, 2019 to September 11, 2020 as the official celebration of the Philippine Cinema Centennial.

Secondly, two types of trophies will be given at the Luna Awards this year. The Luna Awards trophy will be awarded to the film professionals who have done exemplary artistic achievements within the eligibility period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. The respective industry peers of the nominees voted on 12 categories. Of the 16 films nominated this year, four have garnered the most nominations: “Signal Rock” by Chito Roño and “Liway” by Kip Oebanda with nine nominations each, and “Buy Bust” by Erik Matti and “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral” by Jerrold Tarog with eight nods apiece. The Special Awards recipients are Regal Films matriarch Lily Monteverde for the Fernando Poe, Jr. (FPJ) Lifetime Achievement Award and Best Supporting Actress Nominee Nova Villa for the Manuel de Leon Award for Exemplary Achievement. The posthumous Lamberto Avellana Memorial Award will be bestowed on directors Wenn Deramas and Soxie Topacio.

The second set of trophies that will be given, meanwhile, are the Sine Sandaan commemorative trophies. A special feature will be held to honor 30 film outfits as the Sine Sandaan: Production Companies of the Philippines Luminaries for their invaluable contributions to the Philippine film industry. Ten studios and 20 independent production companies will be hailed. These are Nepomuceno Productions, LVN Pictures, Inc., Sampaguita Pictures, Inc., Premiere Productions, Inc., Lebran Productions, Regal Entertainment, Inc., Seiko Films, Inc., Viva Entertainment, Inc., Star Cinema (ABS-CBN Films), GMA Films, FPJ Productions, Inc., AM Productions, NV Productions, LEA Productions, Inc., Reyna Films, Tagalog Ilang-Ilang Productions, Inc., RVQ Productions, Inc., J.E. Production, Quantum Films, APT Entertainment, Inc., Unitel Productions, Inc., OctoArts Films International, M-ZET Productions, Inc., Spring Films, TBA Studios, The IdeaFirst Company, Reality Entertainment, Center Stage Productions, Inc., Ten17P Productions, and Imus Productions, Inc.

Thirdly, the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) and Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) have joined forces for the first time to hold the Luna Awards. In previous years, FDCP has provided support to FAP, but this is the first time that FDCP has stepped up to become a co-organizer together with FAP. Happening at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, the 37th Luna Awards promises to be a star-studded event, with the attendance of veterans, icons, and celebrities to be led by FAP Director-General Vivian Velez and FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño.

The Luna Awards Night is set to be a Philippine Cinema extravaganza with musical performances and production numbers that are sure to light up the stage, including a Tribute to Willy Cruz and George Canseco, who are both Luna Awards Hall of Fame inductees. The awards show spectacle will surely dazzle with its guests, performers, presenters, nominees, and awardees. The Luna Awards Night is under the direction of singer-songwriter Ice Seguerra.

Ten days prior to the Luna Awards Night, the FAP and FDCP held a Nominees' Night on November 20 at Delgado.112 restaurant along Scout Delgado Street in the Tomas Morato area of Quezon City. The Nominees' Night introduced the nominees to the members of the press, celebrated the nominees’ notable works, and fostered better camaraderie in the entertainment industry.

The 37th Luna Awards on November 30 is a strictly invitational Black Tie Optional affair. The Red Carpet Ceremonies will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Cocktail Reception at 6 p.m., and the Awards Ceremony promptly starting at 8 p.m. The Red Carpet and Awards Ceremony will be shown via livestream on the FDCP Facebook page (with the username Film Development Council of the Philippines).


The official list of nominees and Special Awardees of the 37th Luna Awards:

BEST MOTION PICTURE

Liway (Exquisite Aspect Ventures, VY/AC Productions, and Cinemalaya)

Buy Bust (Viva Films and Reality Entertainment)

Signal Rock (CSR Productions)

Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (TBA Studios and Globe Studios)

Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus (Epicmedia Productions, CineFilipino, Unitel, and Cignal Entertainment)



BEST DIRECTOR

Chito Roño (Signal Rock)

Dwein Baltazar (Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus)

Erik Matti (Buy Bust)

Kip Oebanda (Liway)

Irene Villamor (Meet Me in St. Gallen)



BEST ACTOR

Eddie Garcia (Rainbow’s Sunset)

Christian Bables (Signal Rock)

Nicco Manalo (Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus)

Daniel Padilla (The Hows of Us)

Dingdong Dantes (Sid & Aya)



BEST ACTRESS

Angelica Panganiban (Exes Baggage)

Glaiza de Castro (Liway)

AiAi delas Alas (School Service)

Anne Curtis (Sid & Aya)

Agot Isidro (Changing Partners)



BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Arjo Atayde (Buy Bust)

Soliman Cruz (Liway)

Carlo Aquino (Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral)

Epy Quizon (Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral)

Mon Confiado (Signal Rock)



BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Aiko Melendez (Rainbow’s Sunset)

Daria Ramirez (Signal Rock)

Max Collins (Citizen Jake)

Nova Villa (Miss Granny)

Sunshine Dizon (Rainbow’s Sunset)



BEST SCREENPLAY

Carmi Raymundo, Gilliann Ebreo, Crystal San Miguel, and Cathy Garcia-Molina (The Hows of Us)

Rodolfo Vera (Signal Rock)

Rodolfo Vera and Jerrold Tarog (Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral)

Irene Villamor (Meet Me in St. Gallen)

Zig Dulay and Kip Oebanda (Liway)



BEST SOUND

Albert Michael Idioma and Alex Tomboc (Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral)

Albert Michael Idioma and Alex Tomboc (Signal Rock)

Whannie Dellosa and Steven Vesagas (Buy Bust)

Axel Fernandez (Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus)

Jason Conanan, Mikko Quizon, and Kat Salinas (Meet Me in St. Gallen)



BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Michael Español and Roma Regala (Buy Bust)

Aped Santos (Liway)

Mark Sabas (Signal Rock)

Roy Lachica (Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral)

Maolen Fadul (Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus)



BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Neil Derrick Bion (Buy Bust)

Neil Daza (Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus)

Pong Ignacio (Liway)

Neil Daza (Signal Rock)

Tey Clamor (Ang Babaeng Allergic sa WiFi)



BEST MUSICAL SCORE

Jerrold Tarog (Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral)

Malek Lopez and Erwin Romulo (Buy Bust)

Emerzon Texon (Meet Me in St. Gallen)

Nhick Ramiro Pacis (Liway)

Emerzon Texon (Ang Babaeng Allergic sa WiFi)



BEST EDITING

Jay Halili (Buy Bust)

Marya Ignacio and Beng Bandong (The Hows of Us)

Maynard Pattaui and Edlyn Tallada-Abuel (Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes)

Chuck Gutierrez (Liway)

Jerrold Tarog (Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral)





Special Awards



Fernando Poe, Jr. (FPJ) Lifetime Achievement Award

Ms. Lily Monteverde



Manuel de Leon Award for Exemplary Achievement

Ms. Nova Villa



Lamberto Avellana Memorial Award

Director Wenn Deramas

Director Soxie Topacio





Sine Sandaan: Production Companies of the Philippines Luminaries



Studios:

1. Nepomuceno Productions

2. LVN Pictures, Inc.

3. Sampaguita Pictures, Inc.

4. Premiere Productions, Inc.

5. Lebran Productions

6. Regal Entertainment, Inc.

7. Seiko Films, Inc.

8. Viva Entertainment, Inc.

9. Star Cinema (ABS-CBN Films)

10. GMA Films



Independent production companies:

1. FPJ Productions, Inc.

2. AM Productions

3. NV Productions

4. LEA Productions, Inc.

5. Reyna Films

6. Tagalog Ilang-Ilang Productions, Inc.

7. RVQ Productions, Inc.

8. J.E. Production

9. Quantum Films

10. APT Entertainment, Inc.

11. Unitel Productions, Inc.

12. OctoArts Films International

13. M-ZET Productions, Inc.

14. Spring Films

15. TBA Studios

16. The IdeaFirst Company

17. Reality Entertainment

18. Center Stage Productions, Inc.

19. Ten17P Productions

20. Imus Productions, Inc.

‘Mindanao’ Continues Film Fest Run in Taipei, Kolkata, Tallinn, and Cairo

Wazzup Pilipinas!

One month since its world premiere at the 24th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), the latest work of Brillante Ma Mendoza has been selected by prestigious film fests in Taiwan, India, Estonia, and Egypt. “Mindanao” is part of the lineups in the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (TGHFF), Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (TBNFF), and Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), which are all happening in November.

Penned by Honee Alipio and starring Judy Ann Santos and Allen Dizon, the film is about the struggles of Saima (Santos), wife to military medic (Dizon) and mother to a young girl battling cancer. “Mindanao” was screened on November 8, 12, and 18 as part of the Viva Auteur section at the TGHFF. The TGHFF, which started in 1980 as a non-competitive event, is scheduled from November 7 to 24.

Mendoza’s 123-minute film is also an entry to Kolkata’s International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images. It had screenings on November 11 at Nazrul Tirtha and November 13 at Rabindra Sadan. The 25th KIFF screened 366 movies in 17 venues from November 8 to 15. 

“Mindanao” had its European premiere at the TBNFF in Estonia on November 15, followed by screenings on November 19 and 21. Tallinn is among the 15 A-list film festivals rated by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations. According to the synopsis provided by Liisi Rohumäe on the Tallinn website, “Undoubtedly this is a difficult movie, but there is also lightness here. Enchanting Mindanao catches your breath.” The Tallinn film fest runs from November 15 to December 1.

After Tallinn, “Mindanao” headed over to Cairo, home to the oldest yearly film festival in Africa, the Arab World, and the Middle East. “Mindanao” is part of the CIFF's International Competition. The CIFF, which is from November 20 to 29, is also an A-list film fest. “Brillante Mendoza expresses a complex of human emotions depending on a harsh and painful reality as well as a very special life experience, in a unique cinematic style that combines animation to tell the epic tale of Princess Mindanao who casts a shadow over the civil war that tore the Philippines apart,” Rasha Hosny wrote on the CIFF website.

Director Brillante Mendoza at the Tokyo International Film Festival (Photo from the Mindanao film Facebook page)

Jessica Kiang of Variety.com echoed Hosny in her “Mindanao” review: “At his most celebrated, such as with his divisive but Cannes best director-winning ‘Kinatay,’ Mendoza’s blunt, unblinking style is an asset, provoking discomfort by forcing us to confront brutally upsetting realities.” The Variety writer also praised Santos who worked with Mendoza for the first time in “Mindanao.” Kiang added, “Santos turns in a de-glammed, gently anguished, remarkably sympathetic performance.” Wendy Ide of Screen International commended Santos as well for “retaining grace and dignity” in her portrayal. “The film’s main asset is the presence of actress Judy Ann Santos, who is luminous in the role of the mother, Saima,” noted Ide in her review posted on ScreenDaily.com.

After its global debut at the BIFF, “Mindanao” was screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival. With all the rounds that “Mindanao” has made internationally, Mendoza admitted that he is all the more looking forward to his film’s screenings in the Philippines. “Mindanao,” which has been recently awarded a Grade A by the Cinema Evaluation Board, is an official entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival in December. “Gusto ko naman maramdaman, as a filmmaker, for my 13th film and my 15th year in the industry, makaramdam ako ng, ‘Uy, pinapanood ang pelikula, ha! Sarap ng pakiramdam may nanood ng pelikula ko,’” he told Miguel Dumaual of ABS-CBN News.

“Mindanao” is from Center Stage Productions. Its producers are Mendoza and Carlo Valenzona. Editing was by Diego Marx Dobles, cinematography was helmed by Odyssey Flores, production design was done by Dante Mendoza, and music was care of Teresa Barrozo. It will be shown nationwide in the Philippines on December 25.