‘Mula Sa Buwan’ Songwriter William Elvin Returns To Indie Music Roots With New Album to be Released June 25

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Before gaining recognition with the recently produced original musical ‘Mula Sa Buwan’ and touching the hearts and minds of Philippine theater fans in Metro Manila, singer-songwriter William Elvin was selling self-produced CDs to anyone willing to listen.

In fact, his musical talent was first noticed by his theater classmates and mentors through these home-recorded albums in the late 2000s, which gave him the chance to write several Filipino musicals from 2009 to 2016.

“Social media wasn’t as big then as it is today, so we had to rely on friends and families to sell the few copies that we personally handed over to them,” recalls William. 

“Every CD sold, and every positive comment we got felt like hard-earned personal achievements.”

In 2019, coming off of his theater songwriting career in the past decade, William Elvin has returned to the do-it-yourself, free-spirited musical approach in his new album “Sacred/Profane/Mundane”.

“Sacred/ Profane/Mundane” is a collection of original compositions that highlight introspective, emotional and carefully crafted lyricism; dreamy and whimsical melodies;
as well as raw, visceral and intuitive musical arrangements – drawing from various influences such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and Filipino alternative pop/rock acts.

Described as “brilliant”, “soulful, propulsively melodic” and “theatrical but authentic” by critics, William Elvin’s unique sound is exemplified by the album’s promotional singles:
the country/folk-inspired “(I Will Be) The Happy, Shiny One (For You), “The Last Lovers on Earth” as well as the haunting ballad “Ang Sabi Nila”, which are now gaining a growing number of listeners on Spotify and Apple Music.

Watch William Elvin perform live, with fellow musicians
Roger Alcantara, Rigil Borromeo, Dana Marquez and
Satur Tiamson, to launch “Sacred/Profane/Mundane”
at the Black Box Theater of the PARC Foundation
(494 Lt. Artiaga, San Juan, 1500 Metro Manila, Philippines)
on June 25, 2019. Tuesday, at 7 PM.

Tickets are available at Ticket2Me.net.

Listen to William Elvin’s music and get more updates
and information by visiting his official homepage at www.williamelvin.com.

'Oda Sa Wala' to Compete at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Filipino filmmaker Dwein Baltazar’s “Oda sa Wala” joins the diverse selection of outstanding films in competition at the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), making it the only competing Filipino film in the prestigious film festival for 2019.

Established in 1946, the KVIFF is the largest film festival in the Czech Republic, the leading film event across Central and Eastern Europe, and one of the oldest film festivals in the world. The KVIFF shares the same category as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, San Sebastian, Moscow, Montreal, Shanghai, and Tokyo as one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the country’s film agency, champions diversity and gender inclusivity in the film industry. “Having ‘Oda sa Wala’ compete in one of the top-tier film festivals in the world is an important achievement in Philippine cinema. Aside from being the only competing Filipino film in Karlovy Vary this year, this also makes Dwein Baltazar the first Filipino female director who will be competing in an A-list film festival in Europe. As a Filipino and as a woman, her representation in the film industry is something we should celebrate,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Mary Liza Diño.

On a Facebook post, producer Bianca Balbuena shared the good news and reminisced about talking to KVIFF’s Festival Director Karel Och about “Oda sa Wala.” She said, “Karel messaged me, ‘We are intrigued by the film and can imagine it on the list of candidates for the Main Competition to be discussed in April. But it is simply too early for us to make the decision now.’ So I closed my eyes and jumped the cliff. I said no to the other fests and decided to wait. I knew the blame will be on me if KVIFF ends up not choosing it and we missed our big chances. But I took the risk because I know that Dwein gave her heart and soul to this film and it is quite special and she deserves nothing less.”

Dwein Baltazar makes a repeat appearance in the KVIFF this year. In 2012, her debut feature film “Mamay Umeng” made its run in various major international film festivals, including the KVIFF.

“Oda sa Wala” is set to have its North American premiere and will be competing under the Camera Lucida section of the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, Quebec happening from July 11 to August 1, 2019.

The 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival runs from June 28 to July 6, 2019 in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.

Tugade Orders 24/7 Construction of Sangley Airport

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade has directed for the 24/7 construction of Sangley Airport in Cavite to meet the operational timeline set by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Secretary Tugade ordered the hiring of additional manpower, the implementation of extended working hours, and the infusion of additional equipment starting tomorrow, 13 June 2019.

“Whatever it takes, we need to make sure that the directive of the President is delivered. Hire more manpower to work 24/7. Kailangan matapos ‘yan on or before the timeline set by President Duterte,” the transportation chief stressed.

In compliance with Tugade’s directive for the accelerated construction of the Sangley Airport, DOTr Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Project Implementation Giovanni Lopez met with members of “Task Force Sangley” today, 12 June 2019. In attendance were representatives from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the Philippine Air Force (PAF), the ferry system, and the project contractor.

Lopez reported that critical developments in the project are well underway. These include the runway, apron, Passenger Terminal Building (PTB), its power supply, drainage system, and site development.

Lopez further relayed Tugade’s instructions to CAAP to work closely with the DOTr on the civil works so that the support facilities can be immediately incorporated for the airport to commence operations at the soonest time possible. To this end, a synchronization matrix will be submitted as a guide for monitoring.

During the meeting, an ocular inspection was also held at the possible site of the ferry station, wherein the contractor was given two (2) months to construct the port in coordination and compliance with the regulations of Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), CAAP, PAF, and the Philippine Navy.

The contractor has agreed to the submission of a weekly progress report alongside a weekly site visit and inspection by the DOTr for close monitoring of the construction progress.