Growing family: ABS-CBN Films no longer just Star Cinema

Celebrating its 25th year, Star Cinema has become the most recognizable film company in the country, and while it has been, to the Filipino audience, synonymous to ABS-CBN, it is now just one part of a growing filmmaking family.

Star Cinema, the flagship film outfit of the Kapamilya network, had been for a long time the lone brand under ABS-CBN Films. Moving forward, it will be joined by three other film production brands: CinemaOne Originals, CineBro Originals and Black Sheep.

During a recent gathering of employees in celebration of Star Cinema's anniversary, managing director Olivia Lamasan explained that distinction among the four brands under ABS-CBN Films.

Star Cinema, she said, will "remain committed to producing family-oriented stories."

CinemaOne Originals, already an established brand, will carry on as an annual festival for "edgier, arthouse" films.

CineBro Originals is geared towards male market, while Black Sheep aims to produce movies for the millennial market.

Addressing co-workers in ABS-CBN Films, Lamasan said: "I am confident in our people and our capability to face the trying and exciting challenges that await us.

"Sama-sama nating haharapin ang mga pagsubok, sama-sama din natin yayakapin ang tagumpay, habang patuloy tayong nagbibigay ng magagandang pelikula at mga alaala sa mga Pilipino. Kapit-bisig tayo."

Bill on Filipino Sign Language pushed

The main author of the bill mandating the establishment of a Filipino Sign Language system on Tuesday said he is optimistic the measure will soon get enacted.

ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio made the statement following the approval on second House Bill 7503 during last session day of Congress last May 30.

HB 7503 mandates the state to ensure that Filipino deaf can exercise their right to expression and opinion by requiring the use of FSL in schools, broadcast media, and workplaces when communicating with the deaf.

The bill is in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Tinio said.

Under the bill, the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, the Technical Educational Education and Skills Development Authority, and all other national and local government agencies involved in the education of the deaf are tasked to henceforth use FSL as the medium of instruction in deaf education.

The FSL shall be taught as a separate subject in the curriculum of deaf learners. The reading and writing of Filipino, as the national language, other Philippine languages, and English shall also be taught to deaf learners.

The University of the Philippines and the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, professional sign linguistics and linguistic researchers, in collaboration with the CHED, DepEd and the Early Childhood Care and Development Council, shall come up with guidelines in the development of training materials for the education of the deaf. These materials shall be used by all state universities and colleges as well as their teachers and staff.

In the justice system, the FSL shall be the official language of legal interpreting for the deaf in all public hearings, proceedings, and transactions of the courts, quasi-judicial agencies, and other tribunals.

To ensure effective and equal access of the deaf to justice and facilitate their effective roles as direct and indirect participants in the legal system, the courts, quasi-judicial agencies, and other tribunals are hereby mandated to ensure the availability of a qualified sign language interpreter in all proceedings involving the deaf, without prejudice to the right of the deaf to choose other forms or modes of communication, if they so prefer.

The bill provides that hearings, proceedings and transactions shall include those that are held in police stations and before the Lupong Tagapamayapa as well as preliminary investigations and other initial stages in the court, other quasi-judicial bodies and tribunals.

The FSL also shall be the official language of the deaf employed in the civil service and in all government workplaces. All government offices shall take reasonable measures, including the conduct of awareness and training seminars on the rationale and use of FSL, to encourage its use among deaf and hearing-impaired government employees.

In the health system, state hospitals and all health facilities shall ensure access of the Filipino deaf to health services, including the free provision of FSL interpreters and accessible materials upon the request of deaf patients or individuals who have deaf family members.

The FSL shall also be used as the medium of official communication in all other public transactions, services, and facilities.

Similarly, the FSL shall be the language of broadcast media interpreting. The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (shall, within one year from the effectivity of the Act, require FSL interpreter insets, compliant with accessibility standards for television, in news and public affairs programs.

The bill mandates the KWF, in coordination with the DepEd Secretary, CHED Chairperson, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director-General, Professional Regulation Commission Chairperson, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Secretary of Justice, and the heads of other relevant agencies, and in consultation with representatives of the deaf community, teachers with knowledge and experience with the use of FSL in deaf education, the academe, interpreters, and other persons concerned, to promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of the Act.

Bill on Filipino Sign Language pushed

The main author of the bill mandating the establishment of a Filipino Sign Language system on Tuesday said he is optimistic the measure will soon get enacted.

ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio made the statement following the approval on second House Bill 7503 during last session day of Congress last May 30.

HB 7503 mandates the state to ensure that Filipino deaf can exercise their right to expression and opinion by requiring the use of FSL in schools, broadcast media, and workplaces when communicating with the deaf.

The bill is in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Tinio said.

Under the bill, the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, the Technical Educational Education and Skills Development Authority, and all other national and local government agencies involved in the education of the deaf are tasked to henceforth use FSL as the medium of instruction in deaf education.

The FSL shall be taught as a separate subject in the curriculum of deaf learners. The reading and writing of Filipino, as the national language, other Philippine languages, and English shall also be taught to deaf learners.

The University of the Philippines and the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, professional sign linguistics and linguistic researchers, in collaboration with the CHED, DepEd and the Early Childhood Care and Development Council, shall come up with guidelines in the development of training materials for the education of the deaf. These materials shall be used by all state universities and colleges as well as their teachers and staff.

In the justice system, the FSL shall be the official language of legal interpreting for the deaf in all public hearings, proceedings, and transactions of the courts, quasi-judicial agencies, and other tribunals.

To ensure effective and equal access of the deaf to justice and facilitate their effective roles as direct and indirect participants in the legal system, the courts, quasi-judicial agencies, and other tribunals are hereby mandated to ensure the availability of a qualified sign language interpreter in all proceedings involving the deaf, without prejudice to the right of the deaf to choose other forms or modes of communication, if they so prefer.

The bill provides that hearings, proceedings and transactions shall include those that are held in police stations and before the Lupong Tagapamayapa as well as preliminary investigations and other initial stages in the court, other quasi-judicial bodies and tribunals.

The FSL also shall be the official language of the deaf employed in the civil service and in all government workplaces. All government offices shall take reasonable measures, including the conduct of awareness and training seminars on the rationale and use of FSL, to encourage its use among deaf and hearing-impaired government employees.

In the health system, state hospitals and all health facilities shall ensure access of the Filipino deaf to health services, including the free provision of FSL interpreters and accessible materials upon the request of deaf patients or individuals who have deaf family members.

The FSL shall also be used as the medium of official communication in all other public transactions, services, and facilities.

Similarly, the FSL shall be the language of broadcast media interpreting. The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (shall, within one year from the effectivity of the Act, require FSL interpreter insets, compliant with accessibility standards for television, in news and public affairs programs.

The bill mandates the KWF, in coordination with the DepEd Secretary, CHED Chairperson, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director-General, Professional Regulation Commission Chairperson, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Secretary of Justice, and the heads of other relevant agencies, and in consultation with representatives of the deaf community, teachers with knowledge and experience with the use of FSL in deaf education, the academe, interpreters, and other persons concerned, to promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of the Act.

Duterte heckler arrested

A protester who disrupted President Rodrigo Duterte’s speech in Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite, was arrested on Tuesday morning, police said.

A report from Kawit Municipal Police Station identified the protester as 20-year-old Francis Couichie.

While Duterte was delivering his speech during the commemoration of the 120th Independence Day celebration, Couichie and nine other protesters made a scene by heckling the President.

Reports said they were shouting “huwad na kalayaan” (false freedom) while the President was speaking.


Couichie was caught and arrested by police authorities while the nine other protesters managed to escape.

However, Duterte kept his cool, saying protestors have the right to practice their freedom of speech.

“I will understand. Our Constitution guarantees, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. I would just advise the law enforcement to just deal with them peacefully and [with]maximum tolerance,” he said.

The President added there was one common denominator between him and the protestors—love for the country.

“Nobody can ever question my love for the country, I was in Mindanao but I went all the way here. Why do you think? Ambition? It’s love of country and love of Caviteño. Even the protestors, I love them. You don’t believe me? That is the truth,” Duterte said.

Couichie is now under the custody of Kawit Municipal Police Station for investigation and documentation. He will face charges of public disturbance in accordance with Article 153 of the Revised Penal Code.

Attacks

In his speech, Duterte said numerous attacks from within still imprison the country, 120 years after the Philippines declared its independence from Spain.

Poverty, corruption, environmental degradation, terrorism, criminality and illegal drugs are social ills that continue to imprison the Philippines, the President said.

“Indeed, the story of how our forebears fought for our sovereignty and established a Filipino nation shall forever inspire us to cherish the freedoms that we enjoy all of us today. Sadly, more than a century since our heroes liberated is from foreign subjugation, our nation still has to face enemies that attack from within,” he added.

“At this crucial juncture in our history, we need to draw strength from the lessons of our past to ensure that these ills do not cause any more damage to our future.”

He also voiced hope that the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which seeks to abolish the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), will be passed by congress.

Duterte skipped the arrival honors and the wreath-laying ceremony of his first Independence Day celebration because of the inclement weather.

Last year, Duterte skipped the ceremonies in Luneta because he “was not feeling well.”

with ROY NARRA

Duterte warns of ruckus if BBL is not passed into law

By GENALYN KABILING

Another ruckus or “near revolution environment” might erupt in Mindanao if the bill creating the Bangsamoro region is not passed into law, President Duterte warned Tuesday.

Addressing the nation on the 120th anniversary of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, the President said he hopes that the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) would be approved in Congress to avoid trouble in the south.

“We are talking with the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front). ‘Yung Bangsamoro is in Congress. I hope it will pass,” Duterte said in his speech.

“If it does not, then there’s going to be another round of ruckus there. I hope it would not again result to a near revolution environment,” he added.

Apart from the MILF, Duterte said he was engaged in dialogue with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chair Nur Misuari on the peace initiatives.

“Sabi niya, hintay lang ako kung ano ang mabuting pag-usapan natin,” he said.

The President recently certified the proposed BBL as urgent, allowing the two houses of Congress to pass their versions of the bill. Duterte said the approval of the BBL was a manifestation of the government’s commitment to address the diverse needs of the Bangsamoro people and other communities towards a just and lasting peace in Mindanao.

A bicameral conference committee is expected to reconcile the Senate and House versions and submit the measure in time for President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address next month.

Duterte warns of ruckus if BBL is not passed into law

By GENALYN KABILING

Another ruckus or “near revolution environment” might erupt in Mindanao if the bill creating the Bangsamoro region is not passed into law, President Duterte warned Tuesday.

Addressing the nation on the 120th anniversary of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, the President said he hopes that the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) would be approved in Congress to avoid trouble in the south.

“We are talking with the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front). ‘Yung Bangsamoro is in Congress. I hope it will pass,” Duterte said in his speech.

“If it does not, then there’s going to be another round of ruckus there. I hope it would not again result to a near revolution environment,” he added.

Apart from the MILF, Duterte said he was engaged in dialogue with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chair Nur Misuari on the peace initiatives.

“Sabi niya, hintay lang ako kung ano ang mabuting pag-usapan natin,” he said.

The President recently certified the proposed BBL as urgent, allowing the two houses of Congress to pass their versions of the bill. Duterte said the approval of the BBL was a manifestation of the government’s commitment to address the diverse needs of the Bangsamoro people and other communities towards a just and lasting peace in Mindanao.

A bicameral conference committee is expected to reconcile the Senate and House versions and submit the measure in time for President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address next month.

Duterte confronted by hecklers

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter

A GROUP of protesters heckled President Rodrigo R. Duterte in Kawit, Cavite, where he led the 120th commemoration of Philippine independence on Tuesday, June 12.

The mood among demonstrators was upbeat, amid the drizzle and cloudy weather as Mr. Duterte began his speech at the historic house of Emilio Aguinaldo, the country’s first president.

The protesters chanted, “Duterte, traydor (Duterte, traitor)! Hunyo dose, huwad na kalayaan (June 12, fake freedom)! Duterte, patalsikin (Oust Duterte)!”

“Hayaan mo lang (Let it be). It’s a freedom of speech. You can have it. Okay lang (It’s okay),” the President said when he was about to start his speech at the balcony of the Museo de Emilio Aguinaldo.

As voices from the protesters were getting louder, Cavite Governor Jesus Crispin C. Remulla was seen whispering to the President.

Responding to the governor, the President said, “Di bale, manonood ako (Never mind, I’ll watch).”

He then waived at the crowd and ordered the police and security “to just deal with them peacefully and with maximum tolerance.”

“We cannot agree at all times for all seasons. But at least we have this exercise once every six years, I suppose, under this new Constitution and you can elect the leaders that you want to run the country…. We may not understand each other but at least there is a common denominator and that is love of country,” the President also said.

In his speech, he said the Philippines has been facing “modern challenges of poverty, corruption, environmental degradation, terrorism, criminality and illegal drugs.” It is his “personal mission to rid [the] nation of these ills,” he added.

“But I cannot do it alone. At this crucial juncture in our history, we need to draw strength from the lessons of our past to ensure that these ills do not cause any more damage to our future,” he added.

Riffing on his speech, the President asked his Caviteño audience to visit his hometown, Davao City.

“I want you to go to Davao City…. Everything [there] is really done according to the book. Environmentally we’re quite more or less — we can pass the satisfactory level. In terms of law and order, you can walk about anytime of the day or night,” he said.

“We have a mixed crowd there: Muslim, Christians, Lumads and all. All tribes. There’s a big community of Caviteños in the City of Davao. And if they happen to sojourn here, ask them… It is not extraordinary, but unlike the others, talagang ‘yung wala ng disiplina (others do not observe discipline)….”

He also raised the topic of peace negotiations with rebel groups.

“I’m inviting the Reds to… Ito, itong mga nagsigaw (These people who are shouting). Kaya mahal ko ito sila (That is why I love them). Then choose a camp where you can stay there and I will contribute to your subsistence for the 60 days…. If it succeeds, then my only problem would be the rebellion in Mindanao,” he said.

He also cited talks with Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front as well as the truce with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. “Yung Bangsamoro (Basic Law) is in Congress. I hope it will pass. If it does not, then there’s gonna be another round of ruckus there. I hope it would not again result (in) a near revolutionary environment,” Mr. Duterte said.

He also said, “Eh ‘yung sinundan ko dito (the one I succeeded), the great Aguinaldo, is gone. But still we are struggling. Ang masama dito, ang kalaban mo Pilipino. Hindi naman sana kung mag-away tayo ng prinsipyo, okay lang.” (What’s wrong about this is that your enemy is also Filipino. If we’re opposed as a matter of principle, that’s okay.)

Duterte heckled during Independence Day commemoration

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