MRT-3 Train Detachment Incident

Wazzup Pilipinas!

This refers to the unfortunate "train detachment" incident that happened at the MRT-3 Ayala station yesterday, 16 November 2017.

First, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Metro Railway Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) management wish to reiterate that it is desirious of addressing the safety issues of the MRT system.

Upon initial investigation of the unfortunate incident, it was found that the Messma Card of the decoupled Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) #68, the 3rd car in Train No. 5, is missing. The Messma Card functions like a black box that records all applied interventions.

MRT-3 Safety Chief Technician Ruel Jose, who led the initial investigation, said there was no electrical fault, as there was no damage to the mechanical parts of the coupler.

"Imposibleng magkahiwalay ang coupler kung walang human intervention," Jose said.

We ask: What is the motive? Who has the capability of removing the black box? Was this an attempt to cover up a mistake on the operation of Train No. 5? Or was there an effort to sabotage the entire operation?

These questions are being addressed right now through proper and scrupulous investigation.

Meanwhile, in response to calls to temporarily stop the operations of the MRT-3, we want the public to know that the DOTr has been considering this option since the first quarter of this year. But, while the DOTr and Secretary Arthur Tugade are aware of the system's current condition, we must also consider the 500,000 commuters that rely on the MRT-3 system daily.

"Basta sa pagsisikap at kasiguruhan ng technical team na ligtas pa rin ang pagsakay sa MRT, tuloy pa rin ang byahe. Bagamat nandyan pa rin ang option na itigil pansamantala ang operation kung ito na talaga ang nararapat na gawin," DOTr Sec. Tugade said.

The DOTr and the MRT-3 management understand the public's dismay. We hear you. We are not belittling the magnitude of the problem, but, we assure the public that the maintenance team is doing all it can, and working overtime to ensure the safety of the entire system. In fact, since the MRT-3 was put under internal management, fewer unloading incidents have been recorded and more number of trains are being rolled out consistently.

The MRT-3 problem is not easy. We acknowledge that it cannot be solved overnight. But, the government is not giving up. The DOTr will not give up. We will do our best until the Filipino people get the service they deserve.

James Reid Leads Fujifilm Ambassadors During Fujifilm X-E3 Media Launch

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"Known for his well-curated social media feed, James Reid is now armed with the best photo buddy, which truly helps him unleash his innate artistry in taking pictures – the new Fujifilm X-E3. This new rangefinder style, mirrorless, and ultra-compact camera is perfect for the Fil-Aussie heartthrob, who enjoys capturing breathtaking sceneries whenever he travels. Aside from Reid, two of the Philippines’ most sought-after young photographers, Magic Liwanag and Shaira Luna, have also fallen in love with this lightweight and mirrorless camera."

At a media launch held on November 9, 2017 at Dulo MNL in Makati, Fujifilm introduced a few ambassadors promoting the latest product innovations through their work or hobbies. Hosted by Nicole Laurel Asencio, attendees were also treated to hands-on appreciation of the new products, instant print-outs of their photos from their smartphones, great food from the restaurant and bar venue and an after-event party.

Utilizing the latest X-Trans CMOS III sensor and powerful X-Processor Pro for best in-class color reproduction in both stills and 4K movies, the X-E3 camera draws out the subject’s color fast and accurately when shot; thus, creating an outstanding image quality.

Moreover, James also finds its user-friendly touchscreen feature very impressive.

“The biggest thing I've noticed is the fact that there's no D-Pad. This is a step towards to the future of cameras. It's all touchscreen now. It has less buttons, less confusing. It's more intuitive, just swipe up and up,” says Reid.

2 FEU Short Films Vie for Viddsee Juree Awards

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Josel Fajardo's Caterwaul and Ralph Quincena's Dungaw (Look Through) are among the ten short films competing for the Gold and Silver Prizes of the Viddsee Juree Awards on November 25 at the Cinematheque Centre Manila.

Fajardo and Quincena worked with their fellow communication students at the Far Eastern University in completing their films. They are also both part of the FEU Film Society.

In Caterwaul, deep secrets come to light at a girls’ sleepover. While watching an R-rated movie, a girl (Andrei Eunice Osano) shares her first sexual experience and re-enacts it to a friend (Quennie Abuyuan), who does not know that she's in for a dark revelation.

Fajardo was inspired by a story he heard from his friend about a female colleague who went missing and got found later. He revealed that he felt uncomfortable making the film at first, as a man writing about a female character’s perspective on a delicate subject. “I struggled to find a way to solve this and all came out smoothly when I collaborated with my friend, Jennifer Leoncio, in writing the script, which gave a female’s perspective in telling the story.”

He also shared a problem he encountered during the shoot. “I had reservations in using male gaze in the language of cinematography and consulted my team first in pre-production. We came to the conclusion that it is was necessary evil to amplify the level of eroticism of the film and also provides the audience a peep-hole to the story of the characters,” he explained.

Meanwhile, in Dungaw, a problematic nursing student (Dennise Concepcion) finds unexpected comfort in a school toilet with the presence of a professor (Trechelle Ras). However, there’s more than meets the eye in the dramatic thriller as the student realizes that there are more secrets in the Nursing Building’s hallowed halls than she has herself.

Dungaw earlier won the Short+Sweet Film Festival Audience Choice Award and Best Actress for Concepcion, the 2017 Ateneo Video Open 2nd Best Film, Best Editing and another Best Actress award for Concepcion, and 3rd Best Film, Audience Choice Award, Best Cinematography and Best Editing at the SinePiyu 2017 Black Reel Category, among others.

Quincena and producer Zheina David made the film to communicate the horrors and pressures of teenage pregnancy while incorporating a much-talked-about story in FEU. The director was also inspired by his aunt who suffered the same fate as one of the characters. “This film aims to raise awareness to the helplessness women feel when caught up with a situation where there is only one escape,” he said.

The other finalists are Christian Candelaria‘s Gawad CCP Best Short Film and Indie Un-Film Festival grand prize winner Sa Saíyang Islá (In His Island), Glenn Barit‘s Cinemalaya NETPAC Jury Prize and Sinag Maynila Best Short Film winner Aliens Ata (Maybe Aliens), Marvin Cabangunay‘s and Jaynus Olaivar‘s CMMA Best Short Film Nakauwi Na (Home), Christian Lat‘s Ottawa Digital Film Festival and International Film Festival Manhattan winner Redlights, Tashana Rivera‘s Kaulayaw (Companion), Rogin Losa‘s Lovely is Off Air, Chloe Veloso‘s Inahan sa Kanunayng Panabang (Mother Of Perpetual Help) and Nathan Bringuer‘s Tirador (Slingshot).

The competing films by upcoming talents from FEU, University of the Philippines, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Meridian International College and International Academy of Film and Television can be viewed online at Viddsee.com.

The top two entries will win production equipment including a Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K Digital Cinema Camera EF (Gold Award) and Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel (Silver Award), LaCie Porsche Mobile drive 2TB (Gold) and LaCie Portable Drive 1TB Apple exclusive model (Silver), a one-year Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, RØDE microphones and audio accessories, and a five-day Film Immersion Course in Los Angeles, California from the Motion Picture Association.

Each film shortlisted for the competition will be judged by an international panel of jury composed of Loïc Valceschini, festival programmer of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival and Locarno’s Semaine de la Critique or Critics’ Week, Vietnamese film producer and Yxine Film Festival founder Marcus Manh, and Filipino filmmaker and writer Antoinette Jadaone, who is known for directing That Thing Called Tadhana, Love You to the Stars and Back and Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay, just to name a few.

The Viddsee Juree program will start off with talks and film screenings at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde on November 24. There will also be workshops, talks and screenings of the ten finalists together with a Q&A session with the filmmakers on November 25 at the Cinematheque Centre Manila before culminating with the awarding ceremonies on the same day and in the same venue at 6 p.m. The finalists and out of competition films will also be screened at Cinematheque on the following day. All these are free and open to the public.

Viddsee Juree Awards, which is part of the online entertainment and technology platform’s commitment to celebrate and support filmmakers and film communities in Asia, is held to celebrate the jury’s picks of Asian short films from all genres: fiction, documentary and animation. The initiative is supported by the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

The Juree aims to bridge the gap between digital filmmaking and distribution by working closely with local film communities as the Filipino audience grows and the network of creative content producers from the Philippines expands.