Constructing the cauldron was not excessive

Many online have aired their disbelief at the price tag, and feel that the money could have been spent by the government on other needs, such as public school classrooms and further funding for local athletes.

What was supposed to be the landmark of the 30th Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines has become the centerpiece of controversy in the host country days before the regional meet, as Filipino taxpayers question its P50-million price tag.

Senator Franklin Drilon, at a Senate hearing on Monday, November 18, also said as much.

The Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) initially requested P9.5 billion for the hosting of the games, but the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) only approved P7.5 billion. The Phisgoc itself raised the P1.5 billion through sponsorship.

For many Filipino netizens, it would not be on a gigantic kaldero (cauldron) for the torch-lighting ceremony of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) this December. However, the actual kaldero has already been built, and now sits in wait at the New Clark City in Tarlac.

For the design, the national artist was paid P4.4 million, although government seems to misrepresent that fact by insistently pointing out that the monument’s cost was largely because it is a work of art. While it is a work of art, there really isn’t much information on the structural integrity of this concrete torch and as to how faithful it is to Mañosa’s design. The artist earned his name for incorporating indigenous materials into modern design, and that much we may find wanting in the final version that Cayetano wants to sell.

Rep. Joey Salceda (Albay) himself said the cost was “imeldific,” and if he understood his adjective, he’d just pointed out the obscenity of the spending. Does the P50 million budget also cover the tower on which the cauldron was mounted or does it only cover the cauldron itself and its fuel contraptions?

The government spent some P18 million for a "mechanism" that would keep the game's symbolic flame burning for 11 days, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, who also chairs the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC), earlier said.

Organizers have yet to clarify if the contraption was meant to be installed inside the cauldron's hollow space.

The government also shelled out some P7 million for the design and construction of the main cauldron, among the last pieces of national artist for architecture Francisco "Bobby" Mañosa before he passed away in February 2019.

Some P17 million was earmarked for the development of the structure's site.

Cayetano had said constructing the cauldron was "not excessive."

Suspension of classes during SEA Games

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has recommended the suspension of classes in at least seven universities and colleges in Manila as part of its traffic management plans for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games next month.

La Salle chancellor Br. Bernard S. Oca on Tuesday announced the development at the Manila campus "in view of activities directly connected" to the country's hosting of the SEA Games.

The approval will come from the Department of Education or the Commission on Higher Education but so far, none of the agencies has responded, MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago said on Tuesday.

Classes and office work are likewise suspended in Benilde Manila and the Benilde Deaf School "due to the anticipated traffic conditions" during the SEA Games.

While the MMDA did not identify the schools where it had recommended the suspension of classes for the sport event, the Inquirer learned that these were the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Assumption College, Arellano School and Wesleyan College, all on Taft Avenue; St. Paul College Pasig and Poveda School, both in Pasig City.

One of the schools, however, De La Salle University (DLSU), announced that there would be no classes at its campus on Taft Avenue from Dec. 2 to 7 to give way to the SEA Games. DLSU officials said they would also limit access to the campus.

During the nearly two-week games, centerpiece events, like athletics and swimming, will be held at New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, while the other major sporting events – like basketball, volleyball, and weightlighting – will be conducted in Metro Manila.

She said road closures were recommended around the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, including parts of Adriatico Street and Pablo Ocampo Street.

Since the current sales ban only covers weekdays, the MMDA also recommended banning sales on weekends for malls along EDSA and other SEA games routes, including billeting and sports venues.

At the Balintawak Toll Plaza, two dedicated toll lanes will be provided for SEA Games official vehicles. These lanes will be manned by NLEX traffic personnel.

When the vehicles reach the main NLEX thoroughfare, the convoy will go along the leftmost lane.

The agency has also coordinated with the Truckers’ Association of the Philippines to prohibit trucks from plying NLEX from 11 am to 6 pm on November 30. Truck drivers will make their deliveries earlier than 11 am.

The MMDA will also deploy 2,000 men to assist the convoys along yellow lanes.

Tigtigan Terakan Keng Dalan

Tigtigan, Terakan Keng Dalan marked a defining moment in the deathly struggle and ultimate victory of the Angeleno over the devastations of the Mt. Pinatubo eruptions.

Much similar to Bacolod City’s Masskara Festival which signature smiles defined that city’s rise from the hardships that came in the wake of the collapse of the sugar industry in the ‘80s, if I have my chronology right.

That Tigtigan, Terakan Keng Dalan became the signature festival of Angeles City was a testament to its lasting impact the psyche of the city residents, and a recognition of its prime value to their survival as a people.

The two-night event features dancing and singing in the street, drinking beers and feasting on various local cuisine served in food stalls on the street. The party is heighten with performances of celebrity bands and DJ’s that moved the crowd all night long. Many people even consider it as the local version of the German Oktoberfest.

Tigtigan Terakan Keng Dalan (TTKD) 2018 commenced as seven stages dominated the one kilometer stretch of Macarthur Highway. Thousands of party goers danced and rocked the night away with some of the country’s most celebrated acts.

Considered as Rio de Janeiro’s ‘Mardi Gras’, and Germany’s ‘Oktoberfest’, the two day merriment consisted of unlimited beer drinking, sumptuous Kapampangan cuisine, and back to back concerts. OPM industry pioneers Gloc 9 and Moonstar 88 amped up the crowd on separate stages by performing their very own chart topping hits. Joining them are acts such as Gracenote, Rocksteddy, Jason Fernandez, and The Juans, among others.

So at its staging in the last weekend of October since 1992, Tigtigan, Terakan Keng Dalan serves as a look-back to the nights of fear and anxieties, to the days of hope and struggles until the rebirthing of the city now soaring in the firmament of economic development. Truly a cause for celebration. Of the very soul of the Angeleno in triumph.

Despite being a yearly challenge, TTKD 2018 surpassed its previous records making it the city’s most successful street party yet to date.

During the event, traffic enforcers from the Angeles City Traffic Development Office were also positioned in different points surrounding the event venue to manage and ease the flow of traffic.

Angeles City did survive, and how! No, Angeles City even excelled its purely Sin City past.

Clark Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2020

Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2020
Where: Omni Aviation Complex in Clark Airfield, Angeles, Philippines
When: Thursday, February 6, 2020 - Sunday, February 9, 2020 - Estimated date!

Once a year, in Clark, Pampanga, a four days aerodynamic event is held.

In the colored event, various aerial shows take place. The remarkable event is the Hot Air Balloons which climb up in a various shapes and colors.

Due to the numerous visitors during the festival days and the high demand for accommodations it is recommended to check hotel rates and book rooms well in advance.

In addition there are other aerial shows such as; flying flying-models, choppers, radio guided gliders, skydiving, shows of launching models of rockets, ultra-light flying formation, building and flying kites, contests between ultra-light planes and motorcycles, etc…

This is a four days fiesta for more than 100,000 visitors, locals and tourists.

Newbie actor Jansen Magpusao

Newbie actor Jansen Magpusao is a revelation in the lead role of John Denver, a regular kid given to occasional misdemeanors. His character was not one of many words -- he would keep his problems to himself so as not to bother and add more concerns to his harried mother -- so mostly it was only his face which had to convey the turmoil of emotions within him.

Fortunately, the camera loves the 15-year old's expressive face, and the angles and lighting made his silent close-ups so poignant. His inexperience is occasionally betrayed by some awkward line delivery -- however, in this case, it actually enhanced the film's authenticity.

Everything that could go wrong in a case like this was explored. The most maddening scene was that when the video statement of copra farmer Mang Mando (Glenn Mas) was digitally manipulated to seal John Denver's fate. The most chilling scene was that one-on-one confrontation scene where police officer SPO1 Rolando Corpus (Sammy Rubido) was intimidating and coercing John Denver to confess to something he never did.

John Denver Trending is so successful in embracing a growing universe of problems that when it decided to end as a morality play that pins blame, its enormous efforts suddenly shrink. Sure, there is undeniable and immediate emotional heft in an ending that pits life with something as petty as an unsubstantiated theft. However, with an ending that is underwhelming, John Denver Trending loses its real luster – which is not its currency, but its willingness to explore with comprehensive and exacting detail the full picture of fragile innocence under the most unreasonable of doubts.

Maybe because if the film focuses on the fact that John Denver beat up a classmate, the narrative would be difficult to push through. So it focuses instead on what would hurt the victim the most: being accused of something that he didn’t do.

John Denver is already guilty of physical violence, but he’s not guilty of stealing and writer/director Arden Ron Condez uses this instead to propel the plot. It hurts like hell if you’re falsely accused by a person, but for the entire town charging you of a crime that you didn’t do, with some even jumping in to embellish the lie, it effectively breaks the spirit.

Arden Rod Condez’s John Denver Trending will most likely be beloved not just for its currency but also for its unsubtle messaging. In a world that has been drastically made smaller by social media, a film that puts at the center of its concerns the glaring dangers of the conveniences of virtual connections is not just pertinent, but also important.

Condez does not rely on relevance, as John Denver Trending is a profoundly layered film. It situates its story of the school boy amazingly played by Jansen Magpusao in the remotest of communities to pit physical disconnect with the haphazard judgments made from quick accusations, conjectures, alarming photos and sensational videos that are all uploaded online. The film works hard for verisimilitude.

It creates a living and breathing ecosystem where past and present collide, and tradition and technology merge, all in the service of not just exposing a society’s hypocrisy but also for tying such dangerous presumptuousness with all other vices that have existed long before the advent of the internet.

2019 Southeast Asian (Sea) Games is already 80-percent complete

The sports facilities to be used for the athletics and swimming events of the 2019 Southeast Asian (Sea) Games is already 80-percent complete such that construction will be finished by end-August, ahead of the government’s deadline.

Phase 1A of the NGAC project involved the development of an initial 40 hectares, including building the 20,000-seater athletic stadium, 2,000-seater aquatic center, athletes village for Sea Games participants, as well as government housing and support service facilities.

It will also include the construction of the Integrated Operations Center and Disaster Risk Recovery Center, which will serve as government agencies’ disaster-resilient backup offices.

Following the ground-breaking for the NGAC in January last year, actual construction started in March 2018, with the government giving an 18-month deadline to finish phase 1A.

The POC president further aired his frustrations on the unresolved NSA disputes that was one of the main problems that he wishes to solve in his term.

When he was elected, Vargas appointed Philippine Squash Academy president Robert Bachmann to be in charge POC membership committee.

"I’m not happy with the dispute and membership settling issues. We continue to have disputes that are unresolved," added Vargas.

On April 24, the POC board sent a request to secretary-general Patrick Gregorio to call for a special board meeting on April 30.

Vargas, though, did not approve the request as he wanted to accommodate the members of the board who were running for the mid-term elections.

However, 7 members of the board – Cojuangco, Jonne Go, Jose Romasanta, Antonio Tamayo, Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, Julian Camacho and Clint Aranas – went on to hold the special board meeting without the presence of Vargas, chairman Abraham Tolentino and Gregorio.

Non-members of the board who attended the meeting were Bachmann, Frank Elizalde and Charlie Ho, who assumed the role of acting secretary.

SM Supermalls are planning to hold the hot air balloon fiesta in March

SM Supermalls owned by SM Prime Holdings, Inc. and Clark Global City (CGC) owned the Udenna Group of Davao businessman Dennis Uy are planning to hold the hot air balloon fiesta here in March.

This developed after the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) led by Capt. Joy Roa recently cancelled the annual event for what it said was “lack of government support.” According to Serafin Tolentino, one of the organizers of the Lubao International Balloon Festival (LIBF) who is privy to the negotiations, the two private corporations in partnership with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and its subsidiary the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) are in the thick of plans on how to conduct the hot air balloon fiesta here with limited flight capabilities.

This means that only tethered hot air balloons will fly. The event is planned in the first week of March at the back of SM City Clark at the sprawling area of the 177-hectare CGC which is now being advertised as the next center of economic growth in the country.

Tolentino said the activities at the Clark airport cannot be compromised with a Notice To Airmen (Notam) to allow the hot air balloons to fl y with the wind, thus the tethered flights.

However, Tolentino said the Lubao International Hot Air Balloon Festival is set on April 5,6 and 7 at the Pradera Verde in Barangay Prado Siongco in Lubao where balloonists from all over the world are set to participate.

Meanwhile, the PIHABF, held annually every February in this freeport for more than two decades, has been cancelled for this year, according to its announcement.

The organizers of the event said the holding of the annual spectacle did not push through for this year due to lack of government support.

“We regret to inform you that because PIHABF has not received the commitment from our government partners on time, we will not be able to organize the annual The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (and The Weekend of Everything that Flies!) in Clark this coming February 2019,” a statement from PIHABF said.

“Thanks to everyone’s abiding enthusiasm, the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) hosted 22 years of ‘A Weekend of Everything that Flies’ in Clark, Pampanga,” it added.

However, the PIHABF also said it may organize air shows outside this freeport for this year. “We will announce plans and developments on our website, www.philballoonfest.net, and social media channels and we welcome your continued enthusiastic participation,” the PIHABF said.

The PIHABF said the event is the longest-running sports aviation event in Asia, gathering aviators and spectators from around the world for four days of non-stop flying action.

“From hot air balloons to aerobatic exhibitions, formation flying to radio-controlled aircraft, paragliding, skydiving, and dozens of on-ground activities, visitors are always guaranteed to have an unforgettable weekend,” the PIHABF said.

It can be recalled that hot air ballooning started in Clark in 1994 to drum up attention and support to this former US air base which was devastated by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo three years earlier.

The Department of Tourism formed a committee through its Secretary Mina Gabor with regional director Ronnie Tiotuico as executive director who then organized the first hot air balloon fiesta with original members Noel Castro, Bernie Bituin, Joel Santos, Lerma Quiambao, Sol Medina, Raidis Plateros and Tolentino.

Joining the organizing committee were Korean businessman and hot air balloon pilots Sung Kee Paik, British Airways general manager John Emery and German aviation enthusiasts Max Motschmann. In 1996, the event was transferred by the DOT to Air Ads, Inc. led by Roa.

reposted from punto..