SDCA Comm frosh wins 3SF Best Director

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A first year Communication student from St. Dominic College of Asia bagged the Best Director prize during the 3 Shots Film Fest awards night held at the Cinematheque Center Manila.

Franc Louie Sancha, who also served as writer and casting director of the short film “Gitara,” bested 19 other finalists who competed for the award.

In “Gitara,” a musician-vlogger (John Kenneth Talania) stumbles upon a haunted guitar he took from his grandfather’s province. He soon experiences supernatural events happening around him, and a mysterious creature starts to haunt and chase him. Erica Ubay-Ubay and Bong Ryan Reyes provide acting support to Talania.

Apart from Talania, Ubay-Ubay, and Reyes, Sancha also got help behind the camera from director of photography Mariel Perez and production and costume designers Alekzandra Noviebein Carias and Azi Amagna.

This is the second straight year that SDCA has barged into the finals of the event. In 2021, SDCA seniors CK Dela Cruz, Lourdes Mae De Gala, Kristzen Joy Mendoza, and Jhody Sacramento made it to the competition through their film “Laruan.”

All finalists from SDCA are members of the Association of Dominican Communicators, a student organization composed of Communication majors.

Joining Sancha in the 3SF winners’ circle are Best Film “/em/beddeəd” by Adrian Bolante; John Patrick Domingo of “Sack of Confessions,” Best Performance; Christine Anne Crisostomo of “Gula,” Best in Cinematography; “Awang” by Ruth Nicole Modina, Jury Honorable Mention; and “Sack of Confessions” by Francis Lacambra, People’s Choice Award.

The 3SF Festival is organized by Media Underground or MUD Studios with the Film Development Council of the Philippines and co-presented by RSVP Film Studios, Clayshop Inc., Coffee Gallery PH, UFO Workshops Manila with partners Giya Studios, Fire and Ice Media, The Playground Studios, WheninManila.com, and Mapua University Makati Film Arts and Media Enthusiasts (FAME) organization.

The 3SF finalists were shown at the Cinematheque Centers in Manila, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Davao, and Nabunturan and streamed at JuanFlix: The FDCP Channel and mud-studios.net.

WTTC and Trip.com Group global traveller report reveals shift towards sustainable travel

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Travellers set to splurge on international travel this year

“Demand for travel is now stronger than ever” says WTTC President & CEO Julia Simpson

A major new report by World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Trip.com Group, together with Deloitte, reveals a heightened appetite for sustainable tourism amongst consumers, with 69% of travellers actively seeking sustainable travel options.

In this follow-up report, WTTC joined forces again with leading global travel service provider, Trip.com Group and its major consumer brands Trip.com, Ctrip and Skyscanner, with additional data sourced from Deloitte, to analyse the trends that shaped the Travel & Tourism sector last year and will continue to do so over 2023.

The report, “A world in motion: shifting consumer travel trends in 2022 and beyond”, shows that sustainability is a key element of the travel agenda, with travellers eager to reduce their carbon footprint and support sustainable tourism. 

According to a survey included in the report, three quarters of travellers are considering travelling more sustainably in the future1 and nearly 60% have chosen more sustainable travel options in the last couple of years1.

Another survey also found that around three quarters of high-end travellers are willing to pay extra to make their trips more sustainable2.

Last year, following more than two years of travel disruption, travellers made clear their 

wanderlust is very much alive, with a 109% increase of international overnight arrivals, compared to 2021.

According to the report, last year consumers were willing to stretch their budget for their holiday plans, with 86% of travellers planning on spending the same amount or more on international travel than in 20193, with U.S. tourists leading the list as big spenders4. 

But 2023 is looking even better in terms of travellers’ spend. Despite concerns about inflation and the cost-of-living crisis around the world, nearly a third (31%) of travellers said they intend to spend more on international travel this year than in 2022. 

Additionally, according to Deloitte’s ‘Global State of the Consumer Tracker’, last year more than half (53%) of global consumers surveyed during the summer said they plan to stay in a hotel over the following three months4.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “The demand for travel is now stronger than ever and our report shows that this year we will see a significant bounce back. 2023 is set to be a very strong year for Travel & Tourism.

“Sustainability is top of travellers’ agenda, and consumers highlight the value they put on protecting nature and travelling responsibly.”

Jane Sun, Trip.com Group CEO, said: “Travel & Tourism is a powerful force in driving the global economy, creating jobs, stimulating economic growth, and lifting communities out of poverty.

“The Asia-Pacific Region, with its rapidly growing middle-class and dynamic economies, is well￾positioned to capitalise on the growth of the industry and take its place as a leader in the global tourism economy.

“I’m optimistic about the positive momentum for the global resumption and growth of travel in 2023, primarily driven by mainland Chinese consumers, which will help accelerate worldwide recovery and development.”

Scott Rosenberger, Deloitte Global Transportation, Hospitality & Services Sector Leader: 

“Travel is rebounding from the pandemic while innovating and meeting the demands of more modern alternative travel-types, sustainable travel, luxury travel, and much more. 

“Even the rise in inflation-driven financial concerns is not slowing the pace; incredibly travel is being prioritized and flexible/remote work arrangements are creating new opportunities. We are actively engaging with our clients as they embrace these new trends and create memorable experiences for consumers.”

Other findings revealed in the report include:

• 2022 sun and sea package holiday sales are estimated to be up 75% compared to the previous year5

• Last year during the summer, international arrivals in European sun and beach destinations were just 15% below 2019 levels6

• According to WTTC’s recent ‘Cities Economic Impact Research’, in 2022 visits to major cities are expected to see a 58% year-on-year increase, less than 14% below 2019 levels

• Luxury holidays will prove particularly popular, with sales of luxury hotels expected to reach $92 billion by 2025 (compared to $76 billion in 2019)5

• In a survey, nearly 60% of travellers said they were either already paying to offset their carbon emissions or considering it if the price was right.

To access more information and read the report in full, please click https://wttc.org/consumer￾trends.

Philippine Post Office warns against “Mr. Vishing”

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The Philippine Postal Corporation (Post Office) again warned the general public against the proliferation of fraudulent activities by “Mr. Vishing” that uses telephone calls in the guise of the Post Office in their extortion activities.

The scammers use computer skills to configure their calls in order to make them appear that these are legitimately coming from the Customer Service Hotline, (02) 8288 7678, of the said government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) which is under the Office of the President.

Hence, the phone number registered in the Caller ID of the recipient is the “spoofed or cloned” hotline number of the postal corporation. This official number, however, is being used by the Post Office for the sole purpose of entertaining inbound calls from the mailing public who are tracing the whereabouts of their mail or parcels. It is never used for outgoing or outbound calls for verifications on senders or addressees of postal matters.

Dubbed as “Mr. Vishing” for easier recall of the general public, “Vishing” is a criminal racket that uses telephone lines to call would-be victims in order to extract personal information, and generate fear against fabricated illegal acts or issues that eventually lead to extortion. These scammers are able to make their calls appear to come from reputable institutions or government agencies.

Based on the initial information gathered, the modus operandi which began in November 2022 asking would-be victims for their personal information through text or online messaging. In this case, the callers would then tell the targets that they “had discovered an outbound mail or parcel containing illegal substances purportedly sent by the prospective victim through the postal service”. They then claim that these parcels are bound to Malaysia, Thailand or any foreign country but were allegedly “shipped and intercepted at Cebu Central Post Office” or at any post office.

“Mr. Vishing’’ would then refer them to a “local police” who would then use their social engineering skills to instill fear in these victims for them to avoid “legal entanglements”.

The victims are then duped or coerced (even by video calls) to shell out huge amounts of money for protection to avoid trial and possible imprisonment. So far, there were three (3) private individuals who visited Cebu Post Office to inquire about these dubious phone calls. They were then referred by postal officials to the local police as these were proven to be spoofed or cloned calls with an end view of extortion.

The public is hereby warned not to give personal information over the phone to avoid falling prey to “Mr. Vishing”. It is best and wise to check first the authenticity of the calls, emails, or texts that they receive from proper and legitimate sources or can access valuable information available online against vishing, phishing and other frauds.

The Post Office has already referred this matter for investigation to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) or its National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is one of its lead agencies. Likewise, the postal service is coordinating and seeking the assistance from the Philippine National Police (PNP) as well as the current telephone service provider in order to resolve and address the PHLPost Package Scam.