FILM | Student video gets viral on YouTube

Photo from http://theguyundertheacaciatree.blogspot.com/

A 12-minute short film made by Mass Communication students of the University of San Jose-Recoletos in Cebu City has gone viral on You Tube with almost 90,000 views in just four weeks since it was uploaded by its director, Axel Bordario.

The film titled, Love at First Plite was uploaded by Bordario on November 1, 2013 and has since drawn the attention of many Cebuanos prompting the local media to take notice. An article on the student video came out in Cebu Daily News on November 25, 2013.

Bordario said he never expected the film to draw the kind of attention it is now getting. He wrote in his blog he co-authored with his brother John who also appeared in the movie that the film's success was just unprecedented.

He said: " Being the director of the film, I couldn't help but be proud of what has resulted out of our hard-work. What was supposed to be just a film project for school, now has become so big; making us all overnight Youtube sensations! Not one of us in the group has ever expected it. We didn't even understand what was happening. It was definitely one of the most overwhelming things ever. It was...Amazing."

Independent Cebuano short films are getting to be popular in recent years attesting to the resurgence of Cebuano cinema which had its glory days in the years before the declaration of Martial Law in 1972.

However, many of the award-winning films are not accessible to ordinary Cebuanos as they have become properties of contest organizers who stipulate ownership of the film's rights as precondition for participation in the competition.

Love at First Plite is a school project and was not meant for any film competition or commercial purpose. Its technical aspect was ably handled by another student Ronnie Gamboa who took care of photography and editing. The film's cast and crew who are all students of local film icon Caloy Uypuanco shared the film freely on You Tube for everyone to see.

POLITICS | End of the road for Mar?

Photo from UNTV

Mar Roxas may have to kiss his presidential ambitions goodbye.

While the national government's assets were at Mar's disposal in Tacloban after typhoon Yolanda devastated the city, Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez was left groping in the dark for help and so were his thousands of constituents.

Mar talked of clearing the airport, opening roads after the disaster but requests by the mayor on first and second day after the typhoon for military presence to quell lawlessness, relief goods for the survivors, body bags for cadavers, tents for the homeless, heavy equipment for the debris fell on deaf ears.

Why was the mayor without the means to address the problem? And why did Mar have them? Weren't LGUs the first responders? Why was there no national support for the local top executive?

Why did Pnoy have to mediate a meeting between Mar and Romualdez? Why was that necessary? Did Mar withhold vital resources needed to help Tacloban residents? If he did, it is downright wrong. And it is damning. It is also bringing the President down to the pits.

INSIGHT | Learning from Cory

J.D.VELEZ | Blogger

Pnoy would never have  been president had Cory not died catapulting him to the highest office of the land. Owing his triumph to the Filipinos' gratefulness for everything Cory had done for the country (restoring democracy, leading the opposition against Marcos, and relinquishing power peacefully), Pnoy can very well learn from his mother whom Filipinos loved dearly, next to her husband Ninoy Aquino.

Pnoy's parents were heroes, gigantic in their sacrifice and love for country. Their legacy is a tall order for their children who have to live under constant comparison with their parents.

Ninoy and Cory were transformed by their love for each other and their countrymen. They were ordinary people who did extra-ordinary things. They have become world symbols for non-violent protest and struggle for the restoration of democracy.

The greater challenge however, came after democracy was reestablished. The war against poverty and want has yet to be won and this is where Pnoy wants to leave his mark. Much progress has been made in restoring investor confidence in the Philippines propelling the country's economy to unprecedented growth. But a series of disasters cast a pall of gloom for the county's 4th quarter economic reports.

The country has been thrown into a crisis of unparalleled proportions. War, floods, earthquakes and a super-typhoon threaten to break the flagging Filipino spirit. Just like during the time of Cory when constant coups erased economic gains during her administration, Pnoy faces the probability all his efforts will be flushed down the drain.

In the end, Cory left office with the economy pretty much the same way when she first assumed office. Yet, she also left behind a much unified nation, hopeful and optimistic of the future. Pnoy faces the same difficulties towards the end of his term in office. But unlike Cory, he may leave office vilified, blamed if he is not careful and resolute.

ANALYSIS | Beyond suffering and anger

Photo from Inquirer. net

As of this writing, Filipinos rage over government's slow response to the disaster brought about by typhoon Yolanda.

Grief turned into anger for many as the President and his men failed to act within the crucial 24 hours after disaster struck especially in Tacloban City where Yolanda made one of its many landfalls in the Visayas.

Five days after the typhoon, many remain hungry, desperate,and without roofs on their heads. Government was simply absent in many towns and villages with people resorting to lawlessness and looting. Foreign press was expectedly critical of the situation in Tacloban and for the first time, revealed to the world the true state of affairs in the city.

Anderson Cooper of CNN revealed the dead are lying along the street for days with stench from decomposing bodies affecting relief operations, and posing health hazard to the public.

The Aquino administration  responded defensibly, exonerating itself of any blame for the slow reaction to the disaster, heaping blame on the LGUs concerned. In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Aquino repeatedly blamed the LGU for the many casualties and slow response to the disaster.

The interview was a PR disaster for the President and may have sealed his fate and his supposed successor, Mar Roxas. From disappointment to anger and resentment, if not hatred, Filipinos in social media are very vocal in expressing their disgust at the way the Aquino administration acted in response to the disaster.

The honeymoon with the popular Aquino is obviously over. But for a country in much need for healing and hope, it's best to put the past behind and rally towards a resilient future not relying on their leaders but on themselves. The country is in dire need of heroes and inspiration to resuscitate a flagging spirit. For sure they detest politicians and are sick of the politicking.

World's prettiest is a Filipina

The world is taking notice, and rightly so.

For a people without a strong sense of self, Mutya Datul 's victory in the Miss Supranational  Contest is a welcome reminder to the fact that we are a beautiful people, a great race, and an extraordinary nation.

The color of our skin is the envy of other races. We don't age early. Our skin doesn't wrinkle fast and we don't look as old as Europeans our age.

PULSE | Is the pork worth it all, Mr. President?

The president is staking his presidency in defense of the pork. The pork stays in the 2014 budget albeit subject to new guidelines while saying he is abolishing it. He may be guilty of double-talk and letting his credibility slip away. Here's a letter addressed to him from one who voted for him in the 2010 election.

Mr. President,

Is "matuwid na daan" mere campaign mantra? Are you really sincere about fighting corruption or was it just a slogan to win an election? Did you merely stumble on the anti-corruption sound clip and found it effective instead of really meaning it?

Throughout your presidency, you have spearheaded the fight against corruption but now that the people themselves have manifested their desire for genuine change, you are on the wrong side of the debate. From a credible reformist, you now pathetically project yourself as conservative leader bent on preserving the status quo riddled with inequality, corruption and poverty.

You had a chance to do the difficult but correct thing to do after your election to the presidency in 2010. Instead of harnessing people power which your parents helped inspire, you took the more familiar ground of traditional patronage politics.

The  disillusionment with you however, doesn't translate to support for your enemies eager to ride on the people's disgust with corruption. The saying- the enemy of my enemy is my friend doesn't apply in this situation.You still are not the enemy. Opportunists risk public scorn if they try to railroad the people's genuine sentiment for change for their self-serving ends.

Mr. President, people want their lawmakers to just legislate laws not concern themselves with pocketing taxpayers' money through various commission schemes taken from how their pork is spent.

Should you continue with your double talk, let me just ask, is the pork worth it all, Mr. President? You risk losing the goodwill of the people who believed in you and entrusted you with their future, and for what, Mr. President?

ANALYSIS | Pork scam politics

BY JD VELEZ | Blogger

The present pork barrel scam expose has appalled and enraged the nation. Filipinos are up in arms and want figuratively someone to be punished for the plunder of the country. In a weird twist of events, part of the anger has been directed at the president who won on the platform of good governance.

Suddenly, the president is on the unusual situation of being portrayed as pro-pork barrel  that even his move to abolish the pork has not at all calmed down an angry population. His political enemies are trying to capitalize on the people's anger and ride on their disgust.

Their main argument is the non-inclusion of the president's own pork barrel which amounts to billions of pesos. Adding to cast doubt on the president is the fact that the  COA Report on the PDAF abuse covered the period prior to the first three years of his presidency. It, again, highlighted corruption during the administration of Gloria Arroyo. If the PDAF is abused, it must have persisted well into Aquino's administration as nothing has been changed with the way it was disbursed.

Aquino, unlike his parents, is a pragmatist, a believer in realpolitik. To win loyalty of congress he resorted to the same tricks used by his predecessors - dangle pork barrel funds in exchange for their support. He could have walked the talk and took the moral high ground but it would have left him isolated and unable to end Arroyo's hold on Congress.

Today, his enemies know their chance to replace him in 2016 is to demolish his and his parents' image of heroism and self-sacrifice for the nation. Even Binay knows he cannot be president at the rate Aquino is enjoying support. Only a less than stellar Aquino presidency would assure that the next president wouldn't be an Aquino endorsee.

Binay is in a fix. On one hand is his loyalty to Cory, on the other is his ambition to be president. And many surround him for a chance at another shot at power in 2016.

In the meantime, Janet Lim-Napoles who is in the center of this controversy is nowhere. The administration better find her soon or someone else's head will roll to appease the public. People are not exactly interested in her. They know she was mere conduit and that their lawmakers are involved.

POLITICS | The city's political war rages on

Supporters of both Bando Osmena and Team Rama slug it out online and over the radio as the division in the city smoulders beyond the heat of the election season. No end is in sight as allegations of empty coffers fly in the face of the latest COA report admonishing the city for spending beyond its capability to keep its cash flowing. Several obligations of the city like the GSIS premiums of its employees are reportedly unpaid to date. (Read more)

ANALYSIS | Tomas Osmena as Julius Caesar

For many people, Tomas and Joy Young's loss didn't add up. For them, last election's results were erratic, wild, inconsistent.

Ironically, the results, except for that of the position of mayor and vice mayor, are consistent with previous Cebu City elections. BOPK as in elections past, swept the congressional race for the city's two districts. It also almost swept the council race. The fact that four of the opposition bets won is also consistent with the results when Alvin ran for reelection against Tomas. Team Rama's performance mimic too that of Kusug in elections past.

What was abnormal as far as BOPK is concerned was the defeat of its mayoral and vice mayoral bets. The party in all the elections it participated in the past delivered consistent results for its entire slate. But this time, something untoward happened. And BOPK is groping for answers.

The results at a glance would mean within BOPK, some junking of candidates happened involving no less than the party head. For how else would you explain the victory of almost everyone except for the standard bearer?

If so, the junking didn't come from the party head himself who would be in the position to make such order for that would be illogical. It could have come from someone else, equally influential, someone outside BOPK perhaps, working inside, loosening screws, cutting wires within the BOPK machinery enough to upset the election results. For sure, those involved won't tell surveys their choices and schemes.

Is Tomas losing control over his own party? If he is, filing an election protest is an exercise in futility. It's  like cutting the wrong tree.  Like Caesar, he may have to ask the difficult question, Et tu, Brute?

NEWS | Sanchez-Zaballero wins as Board member

Gigi Sanchez-Zaballero, daughter of the late Vice Governor Greg Sanchez won as Board member representing Cebu's Third District. She replaces Board member Ian Zambo who lost.

Sanchez-Zaballero got 87,536 votes, next to Alex Binghay who got 106,733. Zambo placed third with  84,143.

(Photo from her Facebook page)

NEWS | Labella is Vice Mayor

Councilor Edgardo Labella has been declared winner in Cebu City's Vice-Mayoralty race ending days of speculations as to who won in the tight race.

He defeated Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young by a mere 184 votes decided by election returns from three remaining barangays, namely:  Mambaling, Luz and Cambinocot. Young won in these three barangays but it wasn't enough to offset Labella's lead. Labella garnered 203,267 votes as against Young's 203,083 votes.

The camp of defeated Vice-Mayoralty candidate Young is set to file an election protest for the inclusion of rejected ballots in the count.

NEWS | Gwen now Congresswoman

Suspended Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has been declared winner in a hotly-contested election for Representative of Cebu's Third Congressional District vacated by his younger brother Pablo John Garcia who ran as Governor.

Garcia leads her rival Geraldine Yapha by just 1,984 votes after garnering 105,424 votes as against Yapha's 103,440.

Still serving a six-month suspension meted by the Office of the President for a case filed by the late Vice Governor Greg Sanchez, Garcia left the Cebu Provincial Capitol after being holed up inside for more than a month to campaign for the congressional post in Cebu's Midwest.

She also campaigned for her brother who is now trailing Hilario Davide, Jr, son of Former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Sr. in the race for the province's top executive post.

POLITICS | Back in the campaign trail

Even before the dust could settle in the May 13 elections, Tomas Osmena is back in the campaign trail with "guns blazing". He says, he is not conceding defeat to Rama citing probable  irregularities in the election. Probably buoyed by his allies' victory in the province and the city, he is restarting the engines of his political machinery.

He earlier said he would be leaving for the States and dismissed his Cebu City loss as a temporary setback but now questions the electoral process. With allies in the Capitol, Cebu City's congressional districts and in the province's first, second and sixth districts, he seems more entrenched politically than ever and is setting the stage for an election protest.

Rama now faces a long and protracted battle with a more determined Osmena. Although he failed to capitalize on his being the Liberal Party's candidate in the May 13 polls, Osmena isn't hanging his gloves yet. On the contrary, he is rearing to do another round of political fist blows. Despite his victory, Rama now stands politically isolated as a result of UNA's loss in the province and the rest of the country. More headaches await him should  Joy Young win as vice mayor.

With Davide at Capitol (helped by an incumbent's advantage resulting from Gwen Garcia's suspension) and Gullas reconciled with Osmena, Rama can only count on the support of Gwen, Third District's likely Congressional winner and Fourth District's Benhur Salimbangon. Rama has to build new alliances now as Osmena will surely give him problems once more. The battle for 2016 elections has just begun. Get a ringside ticket now.

POLITICS | A Catholic swing vote?

Dr. Rene Joseph Bullecer announced over radio station Bombo Radyo his group of Catholics have provided for Mayor Michael Rama the swing votes needed to win Cebu City's mayoralty race. Prior to the elections, survey conducted by students of the University of San Carlos found Osmena leading the mayoralty race over Rama. Election results, however, show the opposite. Could this be due to what Bullecer said - a Catholic Church swing vote? (Read more)