PPC hosts storywriting workshop in Pangasinan

 

Wazzup Pilipinas?!

The creative landscape of Pangasinan got a boost as the Pangasinan Polytechnic College, in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, hosted the Pangasinan Storywriting Workshop: Screenwriting for Multimedia Platforms from November 6 to 7 at the Sison Auditorium in Lingayen.

Designed as a micro-credential course within the Film and Video Production for Multimedia Platform Series, the workshop was tailored for aspiring storytellers, multimedia arts students, creative professionals, and content creators. It aims to enhance participants’ skills in crafting compelling stories.

Sharing his wealth of industry knowledge was two-time Palanca awardee and Creative Director of GMA Network, filmmaker and screenwriter Aloy Adlawan. Adlawan also armed the attendees with crucial skills in pitching their stories as part of a new initiative to nurture the region’s creative talent.

The event kicked off with a welcome message from Assoc. Prof. Christopher Gozum, PPC Bachelor of Multimedia Arts Program Chair and PPC Film Society adviser. Inspirational messages were delivered by PPC President Dr. Raymundo D. Rovillos and Community Affairs Officer IV Atty. Kandace Lorraine Palagud, who spoke on behalf of Pangasinan Gov. Ramon V. Guico III.

A significant highlight was the Memorandum of Agreement signing ceremony between the PPC and the FDCP, led by Dr. Rovillos and FDCP Technical Consultant for Academic Linkages Seymour Sanchez. They were joined by FDCP Project Development Officer Korina Dela Cruz, Atty. Palagud, and Gozum.

The workshop treated attendees, many of whom were PPC multimedia arts students, to a special screening of compelling films that explored themes of struggle, family, and discovery.

The coming-of-age comedy “Blooming!” by Ronnie Ramos tells the story of Nena (Annika Co), a young girl who becomes fascinated by the parts of a flower while working on a school assignment.

Louchielle Ashley Hael’s short animated film “Signal Pending” brought the participants to the amusing and frantic journey of Max the Bunny who scrambles to submit a thesis project on time.

Cedrick Valenzuela’s “When It Rained Malunggay Leaves,” winner of the Sine Kabataan Best Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing, made the audience reflect on family, grief, and reconciliation, as the drama follows a daughter, Ariel (Gabby Padilla), visiting her mother, Anita (Tanya Gomez), for Undas.

The classic film “Insiang” by the late National Artist Lino Brocka was also screened, allowing the audience to witness its raw, powerful portrait of urban struggle, betrayal, and resilience.

Filmmakers Ramos and Valenzuela also participated in a talkback session moderated by Sanchez.

Participants also learned about the many opportunities available in the industry. Dela Cruz presented the programs of the FDCP Academic Film Society, while FDCP Project Development Assistant Lemor Sobrevega covered the Student Film Assistance Program and Sine Kabataan.

Sanchez also shed light on different visual devices in storytelling for films.

The program was organized by Monika Labaupa, Director and Planning Officer III of the PPC Center for Lifelong Learning, with PPC School of Creativity and Design led by Gozum, PPC Film Society co-adviser Vanessa Millamor Baldueza, and the PPC Film Society, led by president Jannah Grace T. Umali.

Unraveling the Quantum: UP Mathematician Develops Framework to Describe Complex Quantum Operators

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

A thrilling breakthrough at the intersection of abstract mathematics and quantum mechanics is set to redefine our understanding of the universe's most complex operations. Dr. Arvin Lamando of the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science’s Institute of Mathematics (UPD-CS IM) and Dr. Henry McNulty of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have unveiled a groundbreaking framework that simplifies and decodes the intricate operators—the mathematical "machines" that are the very heartbeat of quantum mechanics and signal processing.

Their revolutionary study proves that even the most elaborate of these operators can be decomposed into simpler parts and then faithfully reconstructed , offering profound new insights for quantum systems and technologies.

Harmonic Analysis: The Symphony of Signals

Dr. Lamando's work is rooted in the field of mathematics known as harmonic analysis. To understand this, we can think of a complex signal—like a musical chord.

The Fourier Transform: Just as the Fourier transform breaks a musical chord down into its individual, pure notes (sines and cosines) , classical harmonic analysis can decompose an arbitrary signal f as a sum of these pure frequencies.

Reconstruction: And, just as the original chord can be replayed by combining those notes , the abstract signal can be perfectly reconstructed from its "pure frequencies".

This elegant and powerful mathematical idea, surprisingly, connects to many different branches of abstract mathematics, despite its historical foundation in real-world applications.

The Leap to Quantum Harmonic Analysis

If classical harmonic analysis deals with signals and their frequencies, quantum harmonic analysis applies these same foundational ideas to operators. This specialized field focuses on operators that follow specific mathematical rules essential for translating concepts from classical physics into the bizarre and fascinating world of quantum physics.

Dr. Lamando and Dr. McNulty introduced a crucial new concept: the 'modulation' of an operator in the phase space. This idea aligns with the core themes of quantum harmonic analysis. Dr. Lamando explained that the operator Fourier transform of this operator modulation results in a translated operator Fourier transform, showing its consistency within the existing framework.

Simplifying the Complex

The mathematicians concentrated their efforts on a specific, challenging class of operators: those that remain unchanged (invariant), even when they are translated or modulated over lattices on the phase space.

Their breakthrough revealed that these invariant operators possess properties remarkably similar to those found in the classical case. To achieve this deep understanding, they employed a highly specialized mathematical structure: the Heisenberg module.

The Crucial Discovery

The most compelling result of their research is the realization that these complicated invariant operators can be closely approximated using a much simpler category of operators known as finite-rank operators.

In plain terms, this means that the outputs of the most complex quantum operations can essentially be described using only a finite number of dimensions. This incredible finding effectively bridges abstract algebraic concepts with concrete, tangible structures within quantum mathematics.

The Impact

This research, titled “On Modulation and Translation Invariant Operators and the Heisenberg Module,” has been published in the Journal of Fourier Analysis and Applications. This prestigious journal publishes articles ranging from abstract harmonic analysis to real-world applications and partial differential equations, cementing the significance of the Filipino mathematician’s contribution.

The ability to break down and approximate complex quantum operators with simpler, finite-rank operators paves the way for a deeper theoretical grasp of quantum systems. Practically, this could have major implications for the development of quantum technologies and advanced signal processing.

The plot of a time-frequency shifted Gausssian function is an example of a wavelet , a tool central to decomposing signals, a substantial effort in harmonic analysis. The work of Dr. Lamando and Dr. McNulty is poised to carry this legacy into the quantum realm, providing the essential framework for a new era of scientific discovery.

The Smuggler's Loophole: Weak Enforcement, Not High Taxes, Fuels Philippines' Illicit Cigarette Trade

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

Manila, Philippines – A new, bombshell study has decisively dismantled the tobacco industry's long-standing narrative that high excise taxes are the primary driver of illicit cigarette trade in the Philippines. Instead, the research points a damning finger at weak enforcement and gaping governance holes, particularly in Southern Mindanao, as the true culprits.

The comprehensive nationwide study, conducted by the Action for Economic Reforms (AER) in partnership with Economics for Health of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is based on a rigorous audit of over 7,500 cigarette packs collected from more than 1,000 sari-sari stores across eight key cities.

The findings present a stark, regional picture: illicit trade is rampant in some areas while being low and manageable in most others—a variation that cannot be explained by the nation's uniform tax rates.

The Mindanao Outlier: Where Smuggling Thrives

The study identified Zamboanga City and General Santos City in Southern Mindanao as the undeniable hotspots of illicit tobacco trade, effectively skewing the national average and distorting the overall picture.

The numbers are alarming:

Zamboanga City: Nearly 80% of audited packs were sold at prices below the combined applicable taxes (Php 71.42), a definitive indicator of tax evasion. Up to 96% of inspected packs had fake or missing tax stamps, the highest prevalence recorded.

General Santos City: Reported similar, though less extreme, figures, with 38.5% of packs priced below applicable taxes and 85.4% showing tax stamp violations.

This extreme disparity between Mindanao and the rest of the country strongly suggests that the issue is not tax policy, but rather the lack of credible and consistent enforcement. The region's historical open borders, cultural factors, and the involvement of local and national officials in the lucrative trade further compound the problem, creating an "unbroken line" for smugglers.

In contrast, illicit cigarette sales in Luzon, Visayas, and Metro Manila were found to be low. For example, in Batangas, Dagupan, Navotas, Pasay, Quezon City, and Mega Cebu, illicit trade was deemed at "manageable levels".

Three Faces of Illicit Trade

The study identified three primary forms of illicit tobacco trade observed across the Philippines:

Pricing Below Applicable Taxes (Tax Evasion): The sale of cigarettes below the sum of excise and value-added taxes (Php 71.42), which constitutes outright tax evasion. This was overwhelmingly concentrated in Zamboanga and General Santos.

Tax Stamp Violations: Cigarette packs bearing counterfeit or missing tax stamps. The high share of packs without tax stamps in Mindanao was driven by both unregistered brands and specific registered brands (Cannon Menthol 100s and Fort Menthol 100s).

Smuggling of Unregistered Brands: The circulation of brands and variants not declared to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) by any registered manufacturer or importer. Unregistered brands of foreign origin were found in Batangas and Mega Cebu, but were most prevalent in General Santos (58.6%) and Zamboanga (47.5%).

AER's Urgency: Reject Tax Rollbacks

The AER vehemently urged the government to reject proposals to lower tobacco excise taxes, such as House Bill 11360, warning that such a move would reward smugglers, worsen smoking rates, and erode crucial public revenue.

"The results disprove the tobacco industry's narrative that high taxes cause smuggling," said Daffodil Santillan, AER lead researcher. "The evidence shows the real issue is weak law enforcement and regulatory oversight, especially at ports and borders. Lowering tobacco taxes will only make cigarettes cheaper and Filipinos sicker".

Since 2012, tobacco tax reforms have been hailed as a public health achievement, funding the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law and reducing adult smoking prevalence from 29.7% in 2009 to 19.5% in 2021. A tax rollback would risk reversing a decade of health and fiscal progress.

Policy Recommendations for Stronger Enforcement

To effectively combat illicit trade and secure the gains of tobacco tax reform, AER calls for a multi-pronged approach focused on strengthening enforcement and governance:

Upgrade to an Independent Track-and-Trace System: Replace the current tax stamp with a comprehensive, user-friendly system featuring both physical and digital markers, operating independent of the tobacco industry.

Empower the BIR: Expand the Bureau of Internal Revenue's (BIR) authority to suspend or close businesses for tax violations on all excisable products.

Retailer Accountability: Implement a nationwide licensing system requiring all tobacco retailers, including sari-sari stores, to obtain permits to ensure compliance and accountability.

Tighten Coordination: Strengthen coordination among Customs, BIR, local government units (LGUs), and national enforcement agencies, and deputize local police to conduct raids in enforcement hotspots.

Global Cooperation: Strengthen regional cooperation with neighboring countries to stem illicit trade at its source.

The AER report sends a clear message to policymakers: the fight against illicit tobacco trade is fundamentally a fight for better governance and stronger rule of law.