Traveling to the Philippines for The First Time

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



The Philippines is one of those destinations that often gets overlooked when making long-term plans. Other trips are usually higher on the bucket list, but it’s a mistake to overlook them. The trip will be one of the most enjoyable you’ll have, but it will take some preparation since traveling in South Asia isn’t always as comfortable as you may expect it to be. If you take such preparations, you’ll have a safer and overall more enjoyable trip.

Driving On Your Own

The first arrangement to make is to be prepared to drive on your own. This will allow you to keep your own itinerary and explore the Philippines with more freedom than you otherwise could. That’s much more comfortable than waiting on transportation and sticking to arrangements someone else has made for you.

In order to do so, you’ll need international drivers license. It’s a document allowing you to rent a car and drive in the Philippines. The permit is only valid if you also have a national driving license and a passport with you and if all the documents are up to date.

Check the Weather Reports

Checking the weather report is more important in the Philippines than it would be on any other trip. During the monsoon season, you may end up having to change your plans to stay safe. Monsoon rains can sometimes last for as long as ten days and therefore ruin your whole trip.

On the other hand, typhoons don’t really have a season and can happen at any time and affect big parts of the country. The best thing to do is to be aware that there is one and try to stay away from the area.

Don’t Plan Too Diligently

It’s rather important not to plan your trip in too much detail since there are plenty of chances something will go wrong. Boats and other vehicles may be late or they may break down. Weather can cause you to be locked in, and sometimes you may have trouble finding accommodations.

The best way to go therefore is to leave yourself some room when it comes to scheduling. This will save you a lot of stress and allow you to make the most out of a trip even if something goes wrong in the process. There are also plenty of mobile apps that can help you plan everything.

Use Hotels Rather than Private Accommodations

Tourism is a key industry in the Philippines and you’re likely to find many offers for private accommodations during your stay. These are usually less expensive than staying in a hotel. However, it’s better not to do so, anyway.

Manila is a huge and often intimidating city for a foreign visitor and chances are you may find some bad actors. Nothing similar can happen in a hotel. It’s also worth knowing that hotels in the Philippines are usually much less expensive than those in the West, even when it comes to high-end establishments. Therefore, it’s a small price to pay for safety and security.

FDCP National Registry to Host Free Acting Workshop Series

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

To further engage with film workers, and develop and enhance their skills in the local film and audiovisual industry, the National Registry (NR) of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) will hold a series of free acting workshops for NR-registered background actors, talents, professional actors, directors, producers, and writers, to be facilitated by Star Magic director and acting coach Rahyan Carlos and his team starting February.

The FDCP NR Acting Workshop Series will be a three-part workshop catered to registrants under the National Registry for Audiovisual Workers (NRAW) where each workshop will be targeted to an NR group.

The first leg of the acting workshop will be dedicated to background actors and talents, second leg is for professional actors who have starred as a supporting or lead actor in at least one full-length feature film, and the last leg is acting for production people, specifically directors, producers, and writers.

The acting workshops will be held online via Zoom starting this February followed by face-to-face workshops in preparation for the Showcase Night.

“Last year, the Agency successfully vaccinated more than 5,000 local film workers with the help of the Quezon City and City of Manila Government. Now that film and television shoots are resuming and the industry is becoming competitive, we need to equip our film and audiovisual workers with the skills that they can utilize. Capacity-building workshops such as acting are vital in this industry,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño.

The registration for the “Bubog at Karga: An Introductory Acting Workshop on the Chubbuck Technique” for background actors and talents will be from January 5 to 23. Applicants must be registered with the FDCP NRAW. Interested participants may register and create their account through this link: https://nationalregistry.fdcp.ph/steps-to-apply/nraw.

For more upcoming information and updates, follow the official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FDCPNationalRegistry. For inquiries and other concerns, kindly email nationalregistry@fdcp.ph or visit nationalregistry.fdcp.ph.



NATIONAL REGISTRY ACTING WORKSHOP SERIES Guidelines:


Qualifications / Criteria for Background Actors and Talents



a) Qualifications:



(1) Must have an on-screen speaking role in a film or TV production

(2) Must have at least two (2) years of experience as a background actor/talent

(3) Must be at least 18 years old

(4) Must be registered to the National Registry for Audiovisual Workers (NRAW)

(5) Must be willing to commit to the entire run of the workshop (Online and On-site)

b) Requirements:

(1) Profile/ setcard of project engagements in film/ TV

(2) Most recent half body and full body pictures

(3) Clips/reel of their appearance in film or TV (if available)

(4) Accomplished application form


Submission of Applications



● To register and apply for the acting workshop, visit this link https://bit.ly/NRActingWorkshop and upload all the necessary requirements.

● Deadline of application is on January 23, 2022. The NR team will contact the shortlisted applicants for an individual interview with the selection committee.

Farewell to the Philippines' National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

I am saddened to learn of the passing of National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose. He is the Philippines’ most translated author and most prolific novelist in English. He passed away on Thursday evening (Jan. 6, 2022) at age 97.

National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose has passed away without a Nobel Prize.

Today is still a day of mourning. We just lost a revered and esteemed National Artist, F. Sionil Jose. But for this woketard who embodies the antithesis of decency, there will come a day when you, too, will follow in his footsteps, but the difference is that noone will remember your good works...only your sour-graping.

He was still a significant intellectual figure, who at his best moments wielded an incisive, elegant pen. We can never erase that in history. But knowing how the Marcoses has been doing historical revisionism, if there's a trail of money, anything is possible.

He died Thursday evening at the Makati Medical Center where he was supposed to undergo an angioplasty Friday, Jan. 7, according to his wife, Tessie Jovellanos Jose..

Unfortunately, he left a legacy tainted with the worst character arc in his twilight years. I would appeal for a sense of historical nuance & graciousness. The ornery, reactionary positions he took in his final years should not be allowed to overshadow what he achieved, nor however should they be glossed over. They must be understood. 

F. Sionil Jose might have turned questionable during his later years, however it cannot be denied that he still left a mark in Philippine literature. After all, he won’t be National Artist for nothing.

Anyone else who had been to his little bookshop along Padre Faura, between Bocobo and Adriatico in Ermita, Manila?

Bought books many times from SOLIDARIDAD, aka "The Best Little Bookstore in Asia." It opened in 1964, owned and managed by the late National Artist F. SIONIL JOSE. 

These, along with my collection of comic books and magazines, graphic novels, all about pop culture, because I also loved the drawings and illustrations, both from local and foreign artists.

Similarly, when CDR King was selling those writable or recordable CDs, I was collecting every content possible that I had a stack of CDs that piled up, and ended only when online and digital e-books boomed, and thus ended my years of collecting.

Then I discovered social media and blogging which is my current playpen or sandbox.

F.Sionil Jose's lines: This is the harsh truth about us: not only do Filipinos ignore books, literature - we do not understand how important the arts are - not just to those of us who work at it, but to the nation as a whole.

He was a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Literature in 1980 and was conferred the Order of National Artist for Literature in 2001.

The National Artist for Literature was known for his novels and short stories about class struggles and colonialism in Filipino society.

He was a staunch anti-Marcos and consistent in his walkouts on events where Imelda was present. But he slowly succumbed to the curse of old age equals right-wing evidenced by his recent political commentaries. 

The great F. Sionil Jose some of us admired died long ago.

Whether you like him or hate him (especially now), there's no questioning that F. Sionil Jose is a master in literature. 

I realize that F. Sionil Jose has said many questionable things but I do not think that we should dance on his grave.

We cannot be like those poorly-raised Duterte fanatics who celebrated when Carlos Celdran died--not while we're hoping to fix the country the DDS ruined.

Samuel K. Tan was known, or rather was criticized, for his supposed “bias” toward the Marcoses. He was one of the academicians who partook in Marcos’ biggest brainwashing project — the Tadhana project. 

Ditto with F. Sionil Jose, while we take a pause, we will never forget.

F Sionil Jose is gone. But we’re still here. The evil actions of this regime are not yet reversed. We’re left to ourselves to fight for the victims that he once sidelined — the victims of the tyranny he once called a “revolution.” As he moves and passes on, we will never forget.

“He wrote stories and he believed in them.”

He was brilliant---a sun insisting to be resplendent even during the twilight of his life. 

For now, I pause to honor his greatest artistic achievements.

Sumalangit nawa, Nick Joaquin will be waiting for him there.

Rest in peace, F. Sionil José.