FDCP’a FilmPhilippines to jumpstart 2021 with new film incentive — The ASEAN Co-production Fund

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In order to support partnerships between the Philippines and fellow member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) through its FilmPhilippines Office (FPO) has launched the ASEAN Co-production Fund (ACOF).

The ACOF is a selective fund that will support every selected project with up to USD 150,000 (approximately PHP 7.2 million), provided that the co-production involves a Philippine company registered with the FDCP’s National Registry and at least one company from an ASEAN country such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

The ACOF, which will select up to two projects per cycle, will have three cycles in 2021:

 

• 1st Application Period - January 4 to March 31, with Selection Committee deliberations in April

• 2nd Application Period - May 3 to July 30, with Selection Committee deliberations in August

• 3rd Application Period - September 1 to November 29, with Selection Committee deliberations in December

Eligible projects are feature films of more than 80 minutes with a director of ASEAN nationality minority or majority co-producing with the Philippines. They must have a distribution guarantee or deal memorandum for a theatrical or video-on-demand (VOD) release in the Philippines or for a minority Filipino co-production, a distribution guarantee for a theatrical/VOD release in the country of origin. As for the ACOF spending, at least 50 percent of the fund must be spent in the Philippines in accordance with Qualifying Philippine Production Expenses (QPPE).

A project is considered ineligible if it has received or solicited another grant from the FDCP such as the Film Location Incentive Program (FLIP) or International Co-production Fund (ICOF). Additionally, the project must apply for the first time to ACOF.

Projects will be evaluated on the following:
 

• Degree to which the work promotes ASEAN culture and territory 

• Degree to which the work contributes to the ASEAN film industry

• Degree to which a Filipino producer participates in the creative production of the work 

• Global quality of the project 

• Financial strength and stability of the project 

• International distribution potential through film festivals, theatrical/VOD release, and platforms in order to reach international audiences 

The latest FilmPhilippines incentive program also aims to enhance the Filipino cast and crew, encourage the ASEAN film industry to thrive in global film markets and festivals, and promote the Philippines as a filming destination with a one-stop-shop services desk for film and television productions in the country.


In fact, an application to the ACOF automatically entitles the applicant to avail of the FilmPhilippines’ Film Location Engagement Desk (FLEX) that taps into the FDCP’s inter-agency government support network to help foreign and local audiovisual projects aiming to work in the Philippines with securing visas, work permits, location permits, partnerships with local crew and production companies, and other production logistics requirements.

Applicant producers are advised to contact the FPO before their productions commence to discuss their projects and explore details surrounding the ACOF. For more information, visit www.filmphilippines.com or e-mail filmphilippines@fdcp.ph.

Joshua Pacio Says He Has Unfinished Business with Yosuke Saruta in 2021

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Like everyone else, reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of the Philippines has had a rough 2020, having to deal with many complications arising from the advent of COVID-19 in the country.

His day-to-day routine changed drastically from being able to train at full speed everyday, to staying at home and socially distancing from his friends, family, and teammates at Team Lakay. The 24-year-old recently spoke about those challenges, and how it has helped make him a better fighter.

“It has certainly been a challenging year for everyone, especially in the Philippines where the people had to deal with more than just the pandemic. We certainly learned a lot of hard lessons. This has been one of the toughest years ever, but I’m confident we will come out of this stronger than ever,” said Pacio.

“Adversity is the key to becoming better in anything because it forces us outside of our comfort zone. It forces us to discover things about ourselves. I think because of these complications, we’ve been very creative in trying to adapt our training. If anything, we’re probably mentally stronger now than ever before.”

Pacio was last seen in the Circle in a close split decision win against former champion Alex Silva in January. It was a performance that showcased Pacio’s maturity as a fighter.

But even though he’s already reached the pinnacle of his division, having defended his title twice successfully, Pacio feels he is continuing to get better with each outing. Over the next 12 months, Pacio wants to showcase his improvements in every fight.

“I’m happy I got to defend my title last January. That has been my biggest achievement this year. The rest of the year was dedicated to continuous learning, even during the lockdowns. I think I’ve improved myself both physically and mentally this year. And I’m continuing to upgrade my techniques. The journey never ends, and I feel compelled to keep moving forward,” said Pacio.

“My goal in 2021 is to continue to defend my belt and my throne. I want to showcase improvement in every fight. What you saw from me last January has to be different from what you see next time. You have to see something better.”

While 2020 has been a successful year for Pacio, the same can’t be said for his Team Lakay teammates, who had to deal with a host of painful setbacks over the past few months.

But despite the losses, Pacio feels the team will come back stronger. He says Team Lakay deals with setbacks very well, and uses them as a springboard to get better.

“Losses are nothing new to us at Team Lakay. We embrace the challenges. I think we’ve all learned more in our losses than in our wins. It’s what helps us come back stronger and tougher. Personally, I’m excited to see my teammates back in action next year, and I’m excited to see how much they’ve improved after some tough lessons,” said Pacio.

“The key is determining where you went wrong, what mistakes you made, and working to fix those mistakes. Then the hard work comes in training. That’s how to be a better fighter.”

As for his own career, Pacio singled out one individual he would like to face next year above all.

“Right now I think the number one contender is Yosuke Saruta. He just recently defeated Yoshitaka Naito and it was a solid performance. We’ve had two fights so far, with one victory each, so I feel there is some unfinished business there. I’m looking forward to settling that in the Circle,” Pacio concluded.

“I am confident I can defend my belt multiple times. Even now, I am still just 24 years old, I’m still getting better every time.”

Next, ONE Championship returns with ONE: COLLISION COURSE, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, 18 December. In the main event, ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Roman Kryklia of the Ukraine defends his title against challenger Andrei “Mister KO” Stoica of Romania.

Watch the event on One Sports+ at 8:30 p.m. Philippine Standard Time (PHT). One Sports will air the event on a same-day delay at 9 p.m. PHT. Additionally, TV5 will air the event on a next-day delay at 11 p.m. PHT.

RC Cola pours us another glass of weirdness

Wazzup Pilipinas!

So much has changed in the beverage industry since 1905, when Claud A. Hatcher, a pharmacist in Columbus, Georgia, USA, first started experimenting with soft drinks, and created RC Cola International! 

Which is your favorite RC Cola brand? Does Royal Crown Cola get first prize or does RC Q cross the finish line first? 

And now, meanwhile in the Philippines, they’re back with their weirdness! RC Cola has just released a new ad following its viral, weirdo “Family” video. Sabi nga ng iba, sundan agad habang mapapansin. Samantalahin ang hype.

Another masterpiece from the RC Cola Cinematic Universe? Seriously, though the concept might be "weird" or even disturbing for some, pero yung message? Ang ganda.  --- "WE UNDERSTAND." 

RC Cola accepts and understands you. 

They're back at it again with the weird ass ad. Pero entertaining naman. Do you agree or not?

Yes, may RC Cola advertisement or commercial part 2! Damn! I should've taken that offer where i get paid to tweet about soda but I didn't accept because I didn't wanna promote diabetes. I only promote drug addiction. In RC Cola's case, i can do both..lol

Refreshing from the usual ads?

RC Cola pours us another glass of weirdness with their latest advertisement.

Naloka ba kayo sa bagong commercial ng RC Cola 

"Eyes (Ice) dispenser" 

Baka next concept nila ay tan-SON na .

I appreciate RC Cola's marketing and production team but I'm also deeply concerned on what have they been smoking.

Whoever is making these RC Cola commercials, they should try making a sci-fi franchise.

The new RC Cola commercial talks about our differences and accepting one's uniqueness and 'different-ness'. It's about inclusivity, confidence, acceptance.. pero syempre hindi mo napansin yun. Mababaw ka eh. 

Screenshots from RC Cola Philippines video ad