Benilde Films Make it to Vertical Shorts Tilt

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Three short films produced by digital filmmaking students and recent graduates of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Design and Arts were selected as finalists to the Cinemalaya Nespresso Vertical Shorts Competition.

"iTay" by Gian Arre, "Kasama" by Ira Lastrilla and "Pedro Pasahero" by Paulito Del Mundo Parohinog and Beatrice Molina are among the entries which will vie for awards in the new competition organized by Novateur Coffee Concepts, Inc., CCP and Cinemalaya Foundation. 

A tribute to fathers and children, "iTay" follows a lonesome young woman who becomes overwhelmed with attention when a father learns how to use a new phone as a means to be a parent in this age. The film explores how some parents find their purpose in taking care of their children and how they may feel stripped of this purpose when they lose their family.

"Kasama" tells the story of Rica, played by Benilde film alumna Beatrice Ramos, who has just lost her job. On her way home, she recalls the moments in her life when friends and family lifted her spirits. She tries to figure out the reasons behind their actions until a chance encounter gives her a hint. Apart from Ramos, Lastrilla also got the support of fellow Benilde film alumni Remil Baylon as co-writer, Jaig de Guzman as cinematographer and Rachel Esperon as co-producer.

Meanwhile, "Pedro Pasahero" is about a breadwinner who faces the pressures of providing for his mother and little sister. When he decides to rob a utility vehicle, every passenger reminds him of what he is taking away from them. Benildean filmmaker and recent graduate Yves Publico served as cinematographer. 

Completing the list of finalists are "Ratsky" by Ruby Rosa Baldevarona, "The Door" by James Edward Golla, "Takipsilim" by Benny Yunsay Pioquinto, "Love Others As You Love Your Selfie" by Arjanmar Rebeta, "SLN" by Brian Spencer Reyes, "Ako" by Jonel Revistual, "Kapit Lang" by Christian Borras Tan, "Braveheart" by Kevin Tuason and "Yakap" by Michael Sy Yu.

All participating films were shot using a mobile phone, with a maximum length of three minutes and in a vertical format (9:16). The theme for this year's contest is "pagmamalasakit" or empathy, which is a value most honored by Filipinos.

Competition finalists will be shown at the Tanghalang Manuel Conde (CCP Dream Theater) on August 11, 10 a.m. There will also be a talkback forum after the film screenings to give the audience a chance to ask questions on aspects of film production. Moreover, it will serve as an opportunity for members of the production team to interact with the viewers.

The grand prize winner will receive 50,000 pesos in cash. The second and third placers will get 30,000 and 20,000 pesos, respectively. All of them will also take home state-of-the-art Nespresso machines and coffee capsule packages. Winners will be announced during the Cinemalaya Awards Night on August 12. 

Apart from serving as a challenge to young filmmakers to share their stories through vertical video, the contest is also a celebration of innovation, passion, and excellence in filmmaking.  

ONE Championship Moves to Heighten Japan’s Glory in Martial Arts

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Several traditional forms of martial arts could trace its origins in Japan, but many people tend to forget that the country likewise served as one of the starting points of mixed martial arts.

Japan was once considered the apex of modern-day mixed martial arts, but it has largely fallen out of context over the past decade.

In the early 1990’s, mixed martial arts was growing all over the world as several locations across the globe were beginning to lay the foundation.

With Brazil and the United States indoctrinating the beauty of style versus style in the west, the sport’s old stomping ground in the eastern hemisphere was in Japan.

Japan has a strong history of mixed martial arts as the nation has given birth to heaps of legendary combat promotions such as Pancrase, Shooto, DREAM and PRIDE.

From fearless strikers to elite submission grapplers, it likewise provided the sport with a long list of extraordinary mixed martial artists with the likes of Caol Uno, Hayato Sakurai, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, Takanori “Fireball Kid” Gomi and Kazushi Sakuraba.

However, the Japanese mixed martial arts scene drastically lost its luster with the fall of PRIDE and DREAM.

Japan is poised to reclaim its position among the top mixed martial arts countries in Asia and the world as ONE Championship plans to make its first venture into “The Land of the Rising Sun” in 2019.

A mixed martial arts organization that was established in Singapore seven years ago, ONE Championship is out to reestablish the nation's former glory in the sport.

“Japan has been waiting for a top global martial arts organization for a long time to revive the scene. I’m going to make sure that ONE Championship’s goal to redevelop Japan into a powerhouse is realized in 2019,” ONE Championship head honcho Chatri Sityodtong stated.

ONE Championship has taken mixed martial arts in Asia into greater heights, broadcasting to over 1.7-billion potential viewers across 136 countries around the world.

Since its inaugural card in September 2011, it has staged nearly 80 live events and has visited 11 different countries, including United Arab Emirates, China, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia.

With a highly-active fan base that is engaged in both digital and social media platforms, the biggest local and global brands in the world have been attracted to ONE Championship.

Forming a number of key partnerships, ONE Championship is at pace for a billion dollar valuation and an initial public offering in the next couple of years.

In line with ONE Championship’s strategy of developing local and homegrown mixed martial arts athletes, the promotion ventured and scouted talents in new markets like Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, India and Vietnam as well as untapped areas of the Middle East, China and Russia.

To further cement its stature as the frontrunner of mixed martial arts in Asia, ONE Championship seeks to set foot on Japanese soil.

“Japan has the right history of martial arts of Aikido, Kendo, Judo, Karate,” Sityodtong stated. “So we want to showcase the best martial arts in Japan. We want to do it in the bushido way, with honor, with respect, with humility. Not the way our Western counterparts do it. We want to show real Asian values, real Japanese values.”

ONE Championship houses the best and brightest Japanese competitors as they form an integral part of the roster, with exciting combatants such as Koji Ando and Kotetsu Boku, as well as the legendary Shinya Aoki and ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka Naito.

Other Japanese members of the ONE Championship locker room are Mei Yamaguchi, Hayato Suzuki, Riku Shibuya, Tetsuya Yamada, Yuki Kondo, Kazunori Yokota, Nobutatsu Suzuki and Masakazu Imanari.

One of the first steps towards making inroads in Japan was the establishment of a partnership with AbemaTV, a streaming service developed by media company CyberAgent and broadcaster TV Asahi.

The joint venture will cover more than 20 events of ONE Championship in 2018, as well as offer a reality television series called “Surrogacy Battles” that aims to discover and develop Japanese talent.

The promotion will also work closely with Dentsu, the country’s largest advertising agency brand that will be responsible for assisting ONE Championship in its operations in the Japanese market.

According to Sityodtong, ONE Championship possesses the perfect blueprint in catapulting Japan back into the international mixed martial arts limelight.

“We have the right Japanese partners in Japan to succeed and make it even bigger than PRIDE was, and take martial arts back to the mainstream, where it belongs in Japan,” he expressed.

ONE Championship is set to hold its first press conference in Tokyo, Japan on August 23.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visitwww.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

DOE Underscores E-Safety in the Power Sector

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ENERGY SAFETY FIRST: The Department of Energy and the Manila Electric Company met on 27 July to synergize efforts that ensure electrical safety in the Philippine power sector. In the photo are Energy Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella (center) and MERALCO Vice President and Head of the Organizational Safety and Resiliency Office, Engineer Antonio Abuel Jr. (center-right), the DOE's technical staff, representatives from the MERALCO Power Academy and the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers.

As part of continuing efforts to promote electrical safety practices in the country, the Department of Energy (DOE), the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) and key experts met to discuss the Kuryenteng Ligtas Program (K-Ligtas) which enhances the E-Safety principle under the DOE’s E-Power Mo Movement on 27 July at the agency’s headquarters in Taguig City.

“We are working towards an energy safe and resilient Philippines. To do this, we constantly dialogue with our partners to collaborate our efforts towards the promotion of having an energy efficient lifestyle for our consumers,” DOE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said. 

DOE Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella and MERALCO Vice President and Head of the Organizational Safety and Resiliency Office, Engr. Antonio Abuel Jr. led the meeting. The K-Ligtas Program of MERALCO recognizes exemplary programs and work practices of various organizations through the Electrical Safety Awards (LINK:http://bit.ly/K-LigtasAwards). K-Ligtas also cites contributions from various sectors on the safe use of electricity that could serve as models for all energy stakeholders. It also seeks the practices that may be adopted by different communities and groups for their own benefit.

The parties further discussed the DOE’s Resiliency Policy, which requires energy players to submit their respective Resiliency Compliance Plans. Usec. Fuentebella said such plans will be incorporated in succeeding policies to improve the country’s energy resiliency standards.

Given the extensive experience of MERALCO in power distribution, the Undersecretary asked the MERALCO Power Academy to initiate the discussions towards a policy on electrical safety standards.

Also present were representatives from the MERALCO Power Academy, the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers and the DOE Electric Power Industry Management Bureau (EPIMB).