Cinemalaya 2019 Best Film ‘John Denver Trending’ Competes in Busan

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The coming-of-age drama film “John Denver Trending” by TV writer-turned-director Arden Rod Condez competed at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF)’s New Currents section, the festival’s main competition section.

“John Denver Trending” follows the tale of a student who is wrongly accused of theft. He then becomes a victim of cyberbullying after a video of him getting violent to his accuser goes viral.

To further globalize Philippine cinema, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) led the participation of the Philippine Delegation in BIFF this year after it oversaw the Philippines as Country of Focus in 2018. Producer Sonny Calvento, lead actor Janzzen Magpusao, and actress Meryll Soriano attended the opening ceremonies of BIFF.

A Facebook post from the film’s official page stated that the jury waived the rule stating that films should have a world premiere status to qualify to compete. The post says, “Requiring a world premiere status most of the time, the festival made an exception of allowing our film to compete even if it has already premiered in the Philippines. This is also the first Filipino film to be selected in the section after five years.”



Meanwhile, a ScreenDaily film review emphasized the dark reality the characters face in the era of social media. It says, “As the story darkens towards the fatalistic, we are immersed in easy outrage, fake news and doctored footage that makes one teenager’s plight chime with events in the wider world. The defiance in Soriano’s mother and the anguish of Jansen Magpusao’s demonised, ostracised teenager lend real heartache to a film that speaks to a generation who live by social media.”



Conducted by FDCP last April, “John Denver Trending” was also a featured project at the First Cut International Film Lab, an international project development and editing lab dedicated to improving feature fiction films in the editing stage.



The film brought home six awards during the 15th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival last August, including best film and best actor for Magpusao’s award-winning performance.



The 24th Busan International Film Festival ran from October 3 to 12, 2019.

Surigao Airport Runway Restoration Completed; set to Resume Manila Flights by Year-end

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The construction to restore the runway of Surigao Airport has been completed, with the gateway set to reopen flights to and from Manila before the year ends.

Runway rehabilitation was conducted following heavy damages wrought by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in 2017 that temporarily limited its operations.

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Project Implementation Giovanni Lopez reported that as of 14 October 2019, construction has been completed for the runway to restore additional 340 meters, bringing the current runway length to 1,400 from previously over 1,000 meters. This will allow Surigao Airport to resume direct flights to and from Manila. Additionally, flights from Surigao to Cebu can now operate without limitations on passenger load.

In August this year, Asec. Lopez and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Jim Syndiongco led a site visit at the airport, together with Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar.

The inspection was conducted to ensure that contractors VT Lao and Pacific Concrete expedite repair works upon taking over the rehabilitation project in February this year. The DOTr ordered the contractors to return the airport runway’s operational capability to pre-earthquake conditions.

Following the completion of the 1,400-meter runway, contractors will now work on returning the runway to its previous full operational capability at 1,800 meters by first quarter of 2020.

Asec. Lopez noted that the successful runway completion ahead of the November 2019 is a product of close cooperation between government agencies.

“Secretary Tugade really pushed us to focus on the rehabilitation of the runway of Surigao Airport. The attention to the accomplishment of this project has made all the difference in expediting the resumption of direct flights to Manila. Now, the people of Surigao can maximize their gateway once again,” Asec. Lopez expressed.

For his part, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade welcomed the restoration of Manila flights not just for the connectivity it shall bring but also for the overall economic development of Surigao del Norte.

“We are glad that the contractors made good on their word to deliver in accordance with the deadline set. The people of Surigao deserve this development, most especially after a calamity. Let us always remember that air connectivity is closely tied to regional growth. Ito ‘ho ang kontribusyon ng DOTr, ito ‘ho ang tulong na ibinibigay natin sa ating mga kababayan sa Surigao,” Secretary Tugade said.

Five Countries in South Asia and SEA with the Best Prospects for Online Micro Consumer Lending

Wazzup Pilipinas!

According to the analysts of the financial holding Robocash Group who made a corporate ranking of countries in South and Southeast Asia, Laos, India, the Philippines, Myanmar and Vietnam have the highest prospects for the development of online micro consumer lending.

The highest score in the ranking (20) belongs to Laos. It combines a high potential of the untapped demand with a positive attitude to short-term online lending from the government and population. The need for relevant products in Laos is similar to the situation in Myanmar, but it is free from some obstacles of the latter. Over time, the new market will grow, and foreign investors may significantly contribute to this process. The underdevelopment of the legislation and the absence of financial institutes such as credit bureaus encourage experienced foreign companies with a fine-tuned scoring and reliable operation processes to support the efficient development of the market.

India holds second place with a score of 18. Despite a direct connection between the development level of a country and its place in the ranking, India is an exception. Although a significant part of local people already has access to credit products (79.9%), the rest include hundreds of millions of people. It correlates with the formed regulation. Besides, the market has a relatively small number of foreign companies, and not many Chinese startups have entered the market. As a result, the competition remains quite moderate.

Third place belongs to the Philippines (16). The country gives in the leading positions to other countries because of their hidden potential. However, other advantages compensate for it. The country has an established market of short-term lending services, flexible and facilitative regulation. Then, there is a balance between the high demand for relevant products and low debt load among the population. Moreover, the Philippine government is driving the digitization of financial services to decrease the factor of geographical fragmentation. It makes the country stand out on the regional background.

Myanmar is fourth in the ranking (14). As a country with a relatively large number of people below the poverty line and high demand for micro consumer loans, Myanmar stands out in comparison to the more developed countries in Southeast Asia. Still, some points are holding the market back. Partly, this is due to its underdevelopment. The government has introduced strong regulation to get rid off illegal creditors, which activities have led to debt overload of the population. The latter reduces the attractiveness of the country for foreign companies significantly.

Fifth place belongs to Vietnam (12). Vietnam demonstrates significant demand for micro consumer online loans. With a large number of people living in rural areas (66%), only one-third of the population has access to credit products. Another stimulating factor is the growing GDP forecasted to increase by 6.6% by 2020. Still, Vietnam should improve its regulation in terms of licensing of companies and control of financial statements. Overall, the country represents a bright example of the market with a medium position in the ranking. Vietnam is quite perspective but gives in the leadership due to the current difficulties for the business.


Methodology:
To rank the countries by their prospects for the development of micro consumer online lending, the estimate took into account the information about GDP, population and its access to financial services, regulation requirements and some other additional factors.