Bulacan Braces for SINEliksik DocuFest

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Provincial History, Arts, Culture and Tourism Office of Bulacan gears up for the third SINEliksik Bulacan DocuFest, as it continues to highlight the local history of the province.

SINEliksik 2019 aims to relive and retell the stories of Bulakenyo heroes through documentaries, as well as conduct a comprehensive research on their lives and contributions to Philippine history, with the theme “Bayani ng Kanyang Panahon, Inspirasyon natin Ngayon!”

Through this competition, which was launched in 2017, PHACTO hopes to instill the heroism and patriotism of Bulakenyos in the minds of their fellow Filipinos.

Production teams of selected documentary concepts went through a workshop and consultation with the facilitators for comments and suggestions at the audio-visual room of Museo ng Republika ng 1899 at Barasoain Church in Malolos.

Dr. Lars Ubaldo, a historian currently teaching at De La Salle University-Manila, discussed historical research.

Advocacy filmmaker Seymour Sanchez, faculty member of DLS-College of Saint Benilde film department and Far Eastern University Department of Communication, tackled the principles and practices of documentary filmmaking and how to make the important interesting.

Meanwhile, fellow filmmaker and University of the East College of Fine Arts, Architecture and Design Prof. Richard Legaspi talked about making documentaries more visual.

Deadline of submission of entries is on July 5. PHACTO will shortlist the projects which will make it to the finals. A panel of judges will then screen the finalists to determine the winners.

The Best Documentary Film will get 100,000 pesos. Best Research and Cinematography winners will bring home 30,000 pesos each. Best Screenplay and Special Jury Prize will receive 20,000 pesos each. Special prizes of 5,000 pesos each will go to the Best Poster Design and Trailer.

Non-winning finalists will take home 10,000 pesos each while a consolation prize of 5,000 pesos will be given to other entries which will not be shortlisted.

Participants are asked to sign an agreement allowing PHACTO to use their entries in its different programs. 

The finalists will also be part of the Bulacaniana Collection of the Bulacan Provincial Library and will be distributed to public schools, libraries and offices in the province.  

PHACTO has partnered with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Project Saysay to stage this year’s competition.

PHLPost Opens Stamps Exhibit to Mark Chinatown Museum Grand Launch

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) has mounted an exhibition called “Revive” featuring a section that showcased historical artifacts of the old post office building, chronicling the history of the postal service and Philippine Stamps to coincide with the Grand Launch of the Interactive Chinatown Museum.

Located at the 4th floor, Lucky Chinatown Building A in the famous district of Binondo, Manila, guests and museum enthusiast were treated with a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage, colorful festivities and traditions featuring “Binondo: A History of Connections”.

The Chinatown Museum has sections that the public can walk through famous places, and historical collections which can also be seen through multimedia displays for the public to enjoy and appreciate.

With PHLPost participation, it aims to inspire Filipinos to protect, preserve and promote this nationally important historical archive of stamps and collections providing visual, physical and written records of 251 years of postal heritage in the country.

The Philippine Postal System has a remarkable history. It was first established in Manila in 1767. The first known location of the Manila Post Office was on Escolta, next to the Estero de la Reina near Santa Cruz church.

The Manila Central Post Office Building was built in 1926 as a modern colonial architecture, an example of a perfect neo-classical monument built and designed by Filipino Architect Juan Arellano and Tomas Mapua in the heart of Manila. The structure was rebuilt, guided by its original design, after suffering extensive damage during the World War II.

The historic building has been declared an Important Cultural Property (ICP) and will undergo renovation with the assistance coming from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) next year.

Lenovo Talks Digital Transformation Success for Public, Private Orgs

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Photo caption: Lenovo Philippines Country General Manager Michael Ngan (rightmost) with 2019 OpenGov Asia Forum delegates.

With digital transformation a priority for both public and private organizations to improve operations, leading technology companyLenovo is urging leaders to focus on the three core aspects of workspace, workculture, and workforce for a smooth and hassle-free transition.

According to an IDC study commissioned by Lenovo, despite the increasing rate of digital transformation, 60 percent of organizations in the Asia-Pacific are still struggling to achieve enterprise-wide transformation because of multi-faceted challenges such as data security, privacy, and identity.

On the local level, these issues came into light once again at the recent 2019 OpenGov Asia Forum where Lenovo Philippines Country General Manager Michael Ngan was tapped as a roundtable moderator. During the discussion, representatives of various government agencies shared that their current problems with digital transformation come from the lack of key resources such as skilled workers and infrastructure. Moreover, they also cited having no clear goals and a culture not open to innovation as other main hurdles.

To achieve and sustain the high quality of public service that is expected of them, Ngan advised the agencies to take a holistic approach to digital transformation.

“In order to fully reap the benefits of digital transformation, organizations should put efforts on turning workplaces into collaborative rather than task-based work environments. This enables easy adaptation of future operating models, as well as improves productivity and employee experience,” said Ngan.

One recommendation that Ngan shared to bolster the workforce is to set up co-working spaces, a fast-growing trend driven by competitive pressures to innovate and attract and retain the top talent, which is comprised of millennials and digital natives.

IDC also predicted that by 2024, 50 percent of repeatable tasks will be automated while 20 percent of workers doing highly brain-powered tasks will have AI-infused software or other related connected technology as a “coworker.” Lenovo thus advises organizations to start laying the groundwork for developing a cohesive existence of their human employees and digital workers, i.e., Artificial Intelligence.

Furthermore, as having a “workculture” averse to innovation is detrimental to the life of an organization, Lenovo suggests that agencies turn it around by empowering employees with the right skills and technologies that facilitate collaboration and supports an innovation culture, not just internally but also with others by considering the broader ecosystem and potential partners.

“It is critical now to empower employees, especially in the public sector, with the right set of agile tools, technologies, and an enabling environment that fosters a digital-first approach. This further bolsters both productivity and engagement levels for better outcomes,” explained Ngan.

An example of agile technology that Lenovo recommends is personalized computing, a setup that simplifies the financing, deployment, management, and disposal process of computing assets by grouping them into a single, configurable solution. This means that organizations can select the appropriate hardware and software, giving the workforce greater device choice and removing compatibility issues.

Used effectively, an enhanced digital workspace, workculture, and workforce can help public bodies become intelligent enterprises that can automate processes and even anticipate the needs of the public.

Lenovo is a leading tech provider in the consumer, commercial, and enterprise markets. It was named 2018 Top 100 Global Tech Leader by Thomson Reuters. Lenovo continues to drive innovation that creates meaningful impact and aims to be a world leader in Intelligent Transformation through smart devices and infrastructure that showcase how different is better.