FDCP Channel Hosts Cine Filipina on National Women's Month

Wazzup Pilipinas!


The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) celebrates National Women’s Month as it holds Cine Filipina this March.


“Cine Filipina: Juana sa Gitna ng Pagbabago” is being held virtually on the FDCP Channel (fdcpchannel.ph), the FDCP’s exclusive platform that allows audiences to enjoy quality local and international content online.


Feature films, shorts, and talks on women empowerment are available throughout March on the FDCP Channel.

A total of 10 films can be viewed through video-on-demand (VOD) for only PHP 99, plus there are two Cine Filipina talks, free limited screenings of the opening and closing films, and CineMarya short films and panel discussions also for free viewing.


Cine Filipina kicked off on March 8, International Women’s Day, with the free one-time screening of “Insiang” by Lino Brocka as the opening salvo. Five titles on the different realities of women amidst change and development were also made available from March 8 to 31:

“Sonata” by Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes


“Ang Babae sa Likod ng Mambabatok” by Lauren Sevilla Faustino


“White Slavery” by Lino Brocka


“Chasing Fireflies” by Sheron Dayoc


“Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag” by Lino Brocka


On March 15, the Official Opening of Cine Filipina will take place. The Opening Ceremonies will be streamed from 6 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. on the FDCP’s YouTube channel and Facebook pages to be followed by the one-time free screening of Brocka’s “White Slavery” from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the FDCP Channel.

Five more films on women empowerment and gender issues will be added to the Cine Filipina lineup on March 15 and these will be available until March 31:



“Bagahe” by Zig Dulay


“Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria” by Remton Zuasola


“Lorna” by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo


“Adela” by Adolfo Alix, Jr.


“Miss Bulalacao” by Ara Chawdhury


Short films and replays of panel discussions from the CineMarya Women’s Short Film Festival will be shown for free from March 20 to 21. CineMarya is an initiative of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in partnership with the FDCP, Quezon City Film Development Council, and Philippine Commission on Women.

The two CineMarya film talks from the 2020 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) that will be featured are:

“Women in Philippine Cinema” moderated by producer Armi Cacanindin featuring editors Tara Illenberger and Ilsa Malsi, producers Pamela Reyes and Ria Limjap, and director and cinematographer Lee Briones-Meily


“Women in Public Service” featuring FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño, DILG Undersecretary Marjorie Jalosjos, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, and Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) Chair Rachel Arenas with Issa Litton as moderator

From March 27 to 28, two FDCP Film Talks on Cine Filipina will be streamed live from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. on the FDCP’s YouTube channel and Facebook pages:

“Si Juana at ang Lockdown” is on women in the film industry’s vulnerable and marginalized sector and their experiences during the pandemic (March 27, Saturday).


“Women Artists in Lockdown” is on art, womanhood, and the lockdown, along with the works that were made as a response to the pandemic and the lockdown (March 28, Sunday).

The Official Closing of Cine Filipina will be held on March 31, with the Closing Ceremonies to be streamed from 7 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. on the FDCP’s YouTube channel and Facebook pages. This will be followed by the one-time free screening of closing film “Verdict” by Raymund Ribay Gutierrez from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the FDCP Channel.



Championing women empowerment


The Cine Filipina selection consists of 12 feature films by male and female directors with unique backgrounds, milieu, and treatments representing the multiple realities and challenges that Filipinas have to deal with both in the past and present.


“This National Women’s Month, the Film Development Council of the Philippines pays tribute to all women who exhibit strength and fortitude as they continue to break barriers, stand up for causes, and bring about positive changes in society,” remarked FDCP Chairperson Diño.


“Through Cine Filipina, we hope to further the rights and welfare of women with our online film screenings and events. Our Cine Filipina film selection was curated to represent the story of every Juana — the struggles, the challenges, the triumphs — in light of gender empowerment and equality,” added Diño, who received the Special Award for Woman Empowerment from the Aliw Awards Foundation, Inc. in 2020.


Brocka’s “Insiang,” “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag,” and “White Slavery” represent the Filipinas and their struggles from the 1970s to 1980s. In response to Brocka’s masterpieces, “Bagahe,” “Chasing Fireflies,” “Ang Damgo Ni Eleuteria,” and “Verdict” compare and contrast how issues are dealt with and how women are treated and positioned in the new society amid the new millennium.

“Lorna,” “Adela,” and “Ang Babae sa Likod ng Mambabatok” offer varying takes on the realities of older women in the country, while “Miss Bulalacao” and “Sonata” show how women’s choices on career, religion, and motherhood affect the narrative.


To watch the Cine Filipina films, log in at the FDCP Channel (or create an account for free) and click the Events tab. For more information and inquiries, visit https://www.facebook.com/fdcpchannel.ph or https://fdcpchannel.ph.


WEBSITE LINK:


https://www.fdcp.ph/media/fdcp-channel-hosts-cine-filipina-national-womens-month

ePLDT is Check Point Software Technologies Top Partner of the Year

Wazzup Pilipinas!


Award given to ePLDT for Revenue Contribution in 2020


ePLDT, industry-leading enabler of digital business solutions in the Philippines, has recently received its first recognition from Check Point Software Technologies as its Top Partner of the Year for 2020. It was also given special recognition as Partner of the Year for New Customer Acquisition.



ePLDT contributed over 700% growth to Check Point’s business compared to their performance in the previous years. A longstanding partner of Check Point, ePLDT has been driving capability and practice build for Sales, Security Administrator and Expert competencies.



Jovy Hernandez, ePLDT President & CEO and SVP & Head for PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups says that “these recognitions are a confirmation to ePLDT's capabilities in delivering security solutions in the market in partnership with Check Point - which have enabled some of the largest enterprise customers in the country to heighten their business security especially during the most critical times of the past year.”



ePLDT is currently a Top 3 Star Partner of Check Point, with the partnership having secured notable deals from the government sector. The group will continue to strive harder to achieve higher partnership level with Checkpoint as the global leader in cybersecurity solutions.



Tin Morales, Country Manager, Philippines, Check Point Software Technologies extended his congratulations to ePLDT for the exceptional recognition, noting that “our collaboration with ePLDT is significant especially during the current challenging environment with the global pandemic. We look forward to our continued collaboration.”





To learn more, visit epldt.com.

LTO-TESDA ink Agreement to ensure driving school standards, more free driving courses for the public

Wazzup Pilipinas!


The Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) earlier today signed the Memorandum of Agreement to formalize the agencies' partnership to strengthen driver’s education in the country.

The MOA was signed by LTO Chief Edgar C. Galvante and TESDA Director General Secretary Isidro “Sid” Lapeña. LTO Executive Director Romeo Vera Cruz and TESDA Deputy Director General for TESD Operations Lina Sarmiento served as witnesses to the signing.

The MOA will ensure uniformity of standards among driving schools, and the availability of less expensive training courses, to raise the competency of drivers using the country’s roads.

"We have partnered with TESDA because we want to tap their expertise to ensure the quality of driver’s training being given by driving schools, the LTO and TESDA," Assistant Secretary Edgar C. Galvante said,

Further, the LTO Chief said that with the TESDA, more free driving courses will be available to the public.

"Sa partnership na ito, mas marami na ang ma-ooffer ng gobyerno na libreng driving courses para sa mga interesadong mag-avail ng driver’s training. Ito po ang sagot ng ating mga pamahalaan sa hiling ng publiko para sa dekalidad at murang training program para sa mga drivers," Asec Galvante emphasized.

TESDA DG Secretary Lapeña, for his part, said that the MOA aims to provide "safe drivers."

"Sa ating data from PSA [Philippine Statistics Authorit], isa sa mga pangangailangan sa labor market ay mga qualified drivers. As we transition to the new normal, kailangan ng mga drivers, ito ang constant na pangangailangan ng mga industries. And, we have regional offices who can reach out to those in need of the training. Libre po ito,' Secretary Lapeña revealed.

The MOA will empower TESDA and its training centers to offer the Theoretical Driving Course and the Practical Driving Course equivalent to that being offered by the LTO Driver’s Education Centers. The TESDA Driving National Certificates courses will be equivalent to those offered by LTO.

Further, it will harmonize rules to ensure quality training for drivers. The MOA will complement the existing trainings to address uniformity and standard, at the same time comply with the ease of doing business. This will greatly help the LTO respond to the demand for quality and less expensive driving courses.