New World-class Terminal at Mactan-Cebu International Airport Ready for Inauguration

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Envisioned as the world’s friendliest resort airport, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport’s (MCIA) Terminal 2 (T2) building is set to be inaugurated today, 07 June 2018.

The inauguration will be led by President Rodrigo Duterte, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade, key cabinet members, senators, congressmen, and executives from the private partner, GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC).

Construction of the new terminal building officially started in June 2015, with the aim of reducing airport congestion and increasing the airport’s annual passenger capacity from 4.5 million passengers per year to 12.2 million. 

“It was our job to make sure that construction will be completed by June 2018 as stated in the contract, and that’s what we did, and that’s why we are here. No delays, no corruption,” said Secretary Tugade.

The new terminal was designed in collaboration with world-class Cebuano and Filipino artists, as well as international design and architectural firms, with the aim to provide a welcoming ambiance that is distinctly Filipino.

With a floor area of 65,000 square meters, twice more than the 27,000 minimum floor area in the concession agreement, the new terminal is designed to increase the airport’s total handling capacity. 

Part of the “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program, the MCIA Terminal 2 will start commercial operations on July 1. The new terminal will cater to international flights, while the existing Terminal 1 will handle domestic flights.

The MCIA is the second largest airport and one of the busiest airports in the Philippines. As the premiere gateway to the Visayas and Southern Philippines, it is currently handling an estimated of 5.9 million passengers per year, which is beyond its capacity of 4.5 million passengers per year.

Top CSR Leaders Share Insights on Transformational Change in Building A Shared Future For Inclusive Growth at The International CSR Summit 2018

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Themed “Building A Shared Future”, The International CSR Summit 2018 was organized by Enterprise Asia, Asia's leading association for Responsible Entrepreneurship to help prepare businesses to build and secure a “Shared Future” by combating urgent issues threatening people and planet. At the summit, world reknowned thought leaders and CSR practitioners came together to define an agenda that catalyses inclusive growth and drives multi-collaborations to address the challenges of our time. 

When small sustainable impacts are no longer enough, leaders must deliver real and powerful impact and solutions to meet Sustainable Development Goals, identify the areas and impacts of the business that needs transformational change.

“Organizations have a powerful role to play in all these, we must develop new models for collaboration and collectively tackle complex sustainability challenges of our times. It is time to step up and take responsibility for sustainability, to create a sustainable future for society as whole” says Dato’ William Ng, President of Enterprise Asia.

Speakers of the summit include Dr. Eugene Chien, former Minister of Environment and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, Republic of China, and Advisor to Enterprise Asia; Cheryl Maley, President and Managing Director of Novartis Philippines; Laetitia Lienart, Vice President of  Corporate Citizenship APAC of Credit Suisse; Jun de Dios, President Director of Akzo Nobel, Titon Mitra from UNDP, Dr. Niven Huang, Regional Leader of KPMG Sustainability Services Asia Pacific; Maricel Aguilar from UN WOMEN Philippines and Leo M. Herrera-Lim, Chairman, ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR); to name a few.

Cheryl Maley, President and Managing Director of Novartis told the audience that comprehensive transformational change is needed for long-term sustainable impact, and Laetitia Lienart, VP Corporate Citizenship from Credit Suisse presented on turning competitors into collaborators while Leo Herrera-Lim spoke on human rights and inclusiveness in businesses.

ICS 2018 Manila was made possible through the support of its Title Sponsor Universal Harvester, Inc. truly embodying what CSR events and programs stand for. Universal Harvester safeguards the interest and welfare of the farmers by offering the best quality fertilizers at the most reasonable cost, and to help to assist farmers in keeping abreast with the latest technology for maximum yield.

Benilde Alumni Get FAMAS Nods

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Two short films made by graduates of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Digital Filmmaking program (BenildeFilm) are nominated in the 66th FAMAS Gabi ng Parangal to be held on June 10, Sunday, at the Theatre at Solaire.

This is the first time that the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences is honoring the year’s best works in the short film and documentary categories.

Carl Chavez‘s Sorry for the Inconvenience and Carlo Fajarda‘s Suerte will vie for the “historic” Best Short Film award along with fellow nominees Aliens Ata by Glenn Barit, Babylon by Keith Deligero, Dory by Beverly Ramos, Engkwento by Ryan Machado, Gikan sa Ngitngit Nga Kinailadman by Kiri Dalena, Hilom by P. R. Patindol, Link by Mike Esteves and Si Astri Maka Si Tambulah by Xeph Suarez.

In Sorry for the Inconvenience, a timid teenager named Joshua (Ronwaldo Martin) comes home one night after beaten up by the school’s bully. With revenge on his mind, the teenager decides to take matters into his own hands. When things don’t go as planned, he is left with no choice but to seek help from his policeman father (Simon Ibarra). Cherry Malvar and Luis Ruiz also provide support.

The film bagged the Best Short Film award at the Cinema One Originals 2017 last November. It also competed at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival last August.

On the other hand, Suerte follows two amateur filmmakers (played by Fajarda himself and the film’s director of photography and editor Phillipe Quintos) shooting a documentary about the drug trade. While they go along with their subjects, brothers Betong (Karl Medina) and Roel (Dan Medrana), their dangerous obsession with their project forces them to cross the line between observer and creator.

Fajarda’s thesis film competed in the Wide Angle category of the Busan International Film Festival and in the Southeast Asian short film competition of the 28th Singapore International Film Festival last year.

Meanwhile, Nawruz Bernardo Paguidopon‘s God Bliss Our Home, Jewel Maranan‘s Sa Palad ng Dantaong Kulang and Victor Delotavo Tagaro‘s Yield also made FAMAS history as the award-giving body’s first-ever nominees for Best Documentary Film.

Cinemalaya winner Respeto leads all films this year with 15 nominations, followed by QCinema Best Film Balanginga, Howling Wilderness with 11 and Metro Manila Film Festival Best Picture Ang Larawan, Philippine entry to the Oscars Birdshot and the documentary Yield, with six nods each. Love You to the Stars and Back, Changing Partners, Nervous Translation and Historiographika Errata have five nominations each.

FAMAS is undergoing a major facelift this year. An independent jury, which is headed by award-winning writer Ricardo “Ricky” Lee and composed of film practitioners, critics and educators as members, selected the nominees and will vote for the winners.

Piolo Pascual, Kim Chiu and Robi Domingo will host this year’s awards night with Megavision’s Madonna Sanchez serving as the program’s executive producer.