DOTr Partners with JICA, Academe, for Establishment of First-Ever Philippine Railways Institute

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) partnered with various academic institutions and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in establishing the first-ever Philippine Railways Institute (PRI).

During the first day of Transportation Summit (TransMit) 2018 in Intramuros, Manila yesterday, 1 March 2018, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with various academic institutions to ensure that the country will be able to provide the human and knowledge resources needed to design, build, operate, and maintain the massive railways pipeline under the Duterte Administration’s Build, Build, Build program.

The academic institutions involved in the partnership are TransMit host Mapua University, National University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Technological Institute of the Philippines, and the University of Santo Tomas.

The DOTr and JICA also signed the Records of Discussion, which sets out the steps and timeline for the establishment of the PRI.

Currently, the Philippines only has 77-km. of operational railways. But under the Duterte Administration’s Build Build Build program, the DOTr targets to build 1,900-km. of rails by 2022.

“Delivering this massive railways pipeline will require not just the more than 1 trillion pesos that the government will be investing, it will also require talented and hardworking individuals, especially young and optimistic ones, who are committed to serving the nation,” Undersecretary for Railways TJ Batan said.

He added that while building new railways is important, it is equally important to ensure that the new trains and other components of these new railways are operated and maintained efficiently, reliably, and on a par with international best practices.

The Philippine Railways Institute (PRI) is envisioned to become a training institution and licensing body, which will ensure that all individuals who will operate and maintain the trains, as well as other personnel involved in operations, will have the necessary skills, qualifications, and service-oriented mindset.

"The PRI will ensure that the Philippines' Golden Age of Infrastructure will be sustained and will continue delivering the reliable service that our people deserve long after all of the Build Build Build projects are completed,” Batan said. 

The NEW Fujifilm X-A5 Launch and Ambassadors

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Summer is fast approaching and there is no better way to celebrate it than to capture all those remarkable moments! With the launch of the NEW Fujifilm X-A5, seven new brand ambassadors made sure you’re summer-ready -- Shy Carlos, Issa Pressman, Michelle Dy, Janeena Chan, Bea Benedicto, Chelsea Robato, Katarina Rodriguez and Andi Eigenmann.

Capture your fun adventures with the Fujifilm X-A5, the smallest and lightest mirrorless digital camera from the X Series range. Combining a new 24.2 megapixel sensor with the X Series signature color reproduction technology, the X-A5 levels up with a newly developed zoom lens, 4K movie recording, touch screen, and the latest Bluetooth pairing technology, perfect for all your social media updates!

Is vlogging part of your summer checklist? Just like beauty vlogger Michelle Dy and fitness enthusiast Bea Benedicto, you can document your passions by using the X-A5’s High-speed HD Video function. There is also a 2.5mm microphone jack, for better sound recording. The X-A5 allows you to record your favorite activities in HD video up to quad speed for slow motion slips. You can also have different bokeh-similar effects with its Multi Focus Mode. It automatically stacks 4K quality images while cleverly changing the depth of field required. Now you won’t miss a snap with X-A5’s 4K Burst function -- shooting 15 frames per second in 4K image quality.

Summer sunshine makes anyone feel bright and vibrant. Capture your good side by having perfect selfies and groufies with the X-A5’s touch screen 180-degree tilting rear LCD Screen. The 180-degree rotation also activates the Eye AF function. This helps our beauty mavens, blogger and host Janeena Chan and Miss Intercontinental 2017 First Runner-up Katarina Rodriguez take high-quality self-portraits by focusing on their eyes. It also has the three-level Portrait Enhancer Mode, which improves skin tone. It really is the perfect gadget to level-up those summer selfies!

For our resident island girls, actress Andi Eigenmann and model Chelsea Robato, harsh sunlight is no longer a problem. Take in summer’s vivid lighting with X-A5’s increased range of ISO Sensitivity extended to ISO 128000, and feel free to be artistic with its Film Simulation Modes. Aside from its standard 11 film simulation modes, the X-A5 also has 2 new advanced features -- Fog Remove and HDR Art.  The new intuitive touch-panel GUI LCD facilitates a live view of film simulations, which allows you to choose the filter you want to use.


For singer Issa Presmann and actress Shy Carlos, summer in the city wont be boring at all as you can still capture those sun-kissed skylines with the Fujifilm X-A5! With its newly developed 24.2 megapixel APS-C sensor partnered with Fujinon lenses, the X-A5 levels up your run-of-the-mill photos with better image resolution, thus ensuring finer details of photo’s texture, form, and even the atmosphere of your chosen landscape. It outperforms previous models in terms of SR+AUTO mode, color reproduction performance and “skin tone” reproduction capability.

The new Fujifilm X-A5 comes in three colors -- pink, brown, and silver. This compact camera comes with a new kit lens, XC15-45mmF3.5-5.6 OIS PZ, currently the smallest and lightest zoom lens. It is the first electric power zoom in the Fujinon Lens Family and has a minimum shooting distance of 5cm from the lens surface for macro.

Apart from the new ambassadors, present during the Fujifilm X-A5 launch are photography enthusiasts Ramon Bautista, Roxanne Barcelo, Victor Basa, Jay Contreras, Sarah Abad, Kim Cruz, Kerwin King, Deegee Razon, Shaira Luna, Reese Lansangan, Erika Rabara, and Lharby Policarpio.

Join this summer’s stylish set of ambassadors by getting yourself the hottest accessory this season, the Fujifilm X-A5!

※1 X-Trans is a trademark or registered trademark of FUJIFILM Corporation.

FEU Short Film "Retrospektib" Competes at ASEANnale After Active Vista Win

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Fresh from its victory at the Active Vista Short Film Competition, a satirical film on Martial Law is representing Far Eastern University at the first Film and Multimedia Competition and Exhibition of the ASEAN Biennale. ASEANnale 2018 will culminate with an awarding ceremony on March 2 at the UP Asian Center in Diliman, Quezon City.

Retrospektib, which was made by FEU communication students as a project for their Cinema Production or CNM2 class, recently won third prize at Active Vista “for taking the audience into a brave harrowing yet comical journey through the nightmares of dictatorship.”

Written and directed by Daryll Jameson Apaga, the short film focuses on three male activists who try to escape the atrocities of the Narkos regime. Jay (Julio Garcia) persuades Boyong (David Paul Farma) and Ramon (Renz Silverio) to travel through time with the help of Mang Jun (Andres Balano), a local quack doctor. However, Boyong is hesitant about Jay’s plan on running away from it all. They will soon discover a life-changing scenario in the present time.

Apaga got ample support from Malayang Paskilan Productions led by  producer Ira Locnen, director of photography Nathan Olid, production designers Enna Sarmiento and Jaimie Del Rosario, costume designers Wency Bautizado, Pau Latoza and Dominique Fausto, soundmen Mark Ordiz and Davey Clemente, and production managers Clarinette Cariaga and Gesma Rebagay. Apaga and Locnen later teamed up with Elijah Gador in editing the film.

Dr. Grace J. Alfonso, ASEANnale Organizing Committee Chair, said that the three-day conference seeks to encourage cultural and academic dialogue grounded on the concept of students and faculty as co-creators of knowledge and works.

Apart from showcasing select creative and research works from the 10 ASEAN countries, ASEANnale seeks to promote a community of scholars through film and multimedia, poster exhibition, paper presentation, and international symposium on three sub-themes shared by numerous parties in the region: Diaspora, Disasters and Democracy. The event is envisioned to be a space for the sharing of voices, collaboration and networking of ASEAN higher education students and faculty.

Apaga believes that “art can be a space of dissent and resistance.” For him, freedom of expression is significant as it “gives the oppressed a voice in the public sphere.” The filmmaker, who hails from San Mateo, Isabela, warns Filipinos not to be complacent during this period in our history.

“Wag nating ‘takasan’ o kalimutan ang kasaysayan specifically ang mga nangyari noong panahon ng martial law. Sa panahong kalat na ang fake news at kabilaan ang mga apologists at revisionists, kailangan natin ng kamalayan tungkol sa pinakamadilim na bahagi ng ating kasaysayan. Pwedeng mangyari ulit to kung hindi tayo magiging kritikal sa nangyayari sa lipunan,” he reiterated.

Retrospektib previously won Best Screenplay, Best Production Design and 2nd Best Picture at the 2017 Sinepiyu and Outstanding Ensemble at CineSB7. It was also exhibited at Pineapple Lab in Barangay Poblacion, Makati City as part of FRINGEMNL 2018 and at UPLB REDREC Auditorium at the recent Pelikultura: The Calabarzon Film Festival.