FDCP’s CreatePHFilms Grants P12.1M to Support Funding for 22 Filipino Projects

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In its bid to continue supporting the Filipino film industry especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) announced the awardees of its CreatePHFilms Philippine Cinema funding program that provides selective funds for development, production, post-production, and distribution. 

Cycle 1 of CreatePHFilms ended in November and after thorough deliberations in December, the Selection Committee chose 22 grantees: eight for scriptwriting, four for script development, three for small budget production, two for large budget production, and five for post-production. The funding allocated for the CreatePHFilms Cycle 1 awardees amounts to PHP 12.1 million.

The esteemed Selection Committee members for Cycle 1 are Pangasinan 4th District Rep. Christopher de Venecia, FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño, director and writer Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr., director and Directors' Guild of the Philippines, Inc. representative Raymond Red, Cinema Evaluation Board Chairman Christine Dayrit, Solar Pictures, Inc. General Manager Butch Ibañez, and cinematographer and Lupon ng Pilipinong Sinematograpo President Mackie Galvez.

“The industry has been clamoring for public funding to support the development of films since 2016. We believe in the importance of public funding, as countries with thriving film industries such as France and South Korea benefit from various government programs and funding. At long last, the Philippines has public funding for film development through CreatePHFilms and now, we have our first batch of grantees,” said Diño.

“We are proud of the resiliency of our filmmakers and their perseverance to continue the production of their projects in these challenging times. We hope for the government’s continued support to the industry through funding programs,” she added.

Through the CreatePHFilms Funds for Development for Scriptwriting and Project Development, the FDCP wants to support Filipino scriptwriters by helping them develop innovative stories based on Filipino culture and heritage.

The CreatePHFilms Fund for Scriptwriting is a selective, nonrefundable fund of up to PHP 100,000. Awardees will also have at least two FDCP-led sessions of script consultations with international mentors on concept, creative issues, and developing the screenplay. The eight grantees for scriptwriting that will receive PHP 100,000 each are:

“Ang Alamat ng Gumamelang Bukid” by Richard Soriano Legaspi

“Dead Boy” by Jules Dan Katanyag

“Magiliw (Gentle: A Carnage by the Land of the Rising Sun)” by Bor Ocampo

“Mother Maybe” by Sonny Calvento

“Oyayi” by Mitzi Delima

“Silk Ties” by Wilfredo Manalang

“Strange Natives” by Paolo Herras

“The Fighting Filipinos” by Honee Alipio

The CreatePHFilms Fund for Project Development is a selective and nonrefundable fund of up to PHP 200,000 for production companies. These are the four selected projects that will be given PHP 200,000 each:

“In My Mother's Skin” by Kenneth Lim Dagatan

“Ninja From Manila” by Miko Livelo

“Outerspace Filipino Workers” by Keith Sicat

“The Tootle & Tina Show” by Danzen Santos Katanyag

The FDCP wants to encourage Filipino film producers to create high-quality films for domestic and international audiences through the CreatePHFilms Funds for Production: Small Budget and Large Budget. The CreatePHFilms Fund for Small Budget Production is a selective refundable fund up to PHP 1 million for production companies. The three films selected as small budget production fund recipients of PHP 1 million each are:

“12 Weeks” by Anna Isabelle Matutina

“Blue Room” by Ma. Anna L. Asuncion-Dagnalan

“Faramanis” by Gutierrez Mangansakan II

Meanwhile, the CreatePHFilms Fund for Large Budget Production is a selective equity investment fund worth P3 million to P5 million for production companies. The two chosen projects that will each receive the large budget production fund worth PHP 3 million are:

“Bansa” by Brillante Mendoza

“Kidplay” by Khavn

The CreatePHFilms Fund for Post-Production seeks to enhance post-production services so that they meet international standards. This selective fund of up to PHP 300,000 will be applied for by a production company and granted to its engaged post-production company. The five recipients of the PHP 300,000 post-production support are:

“Ang Pagbabalik ng Kwago” by Martika Ramirez Escobar

“Gensan Punch” by Brillante Mendoza

“Kargo” by TM Malones

“Mirador” by Loy Arcenas

“The Brokers” by Daniel R. Palacio

There is also the CreatePHFilms Fund for Distribution, a selective fund of up to P300,000, for the local and overseas distribution of Filipino titles. Producers can apply for this as well as for the CreatePHFilms Funds for Development, Production, and Post-Production this year.

Eligible applicants must be Filipino filmmakers and companies accredited by the FDCP’s National Registry, while eligible projects must have a Filipino director. In addition, 100 percent of the funds must be spent in the Philippines for qualified expenses.

CreatePHFilms was launched in September in time for the commemoration of the closing of the Philippine Cinema Centennial celebration. “This domestic funding program also shows the government’s support for the vulnerable sectors of the film industry by increasing economic opportunities for local services and workers,” added Diño.

For more information, e-mail createphfilms@fdcp.ph or visit www.fdcp.ph/CreatePHFilms.

ePLDT bags Chromebook Top Growth Award from ASUS Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!


ePLDT, the ICT arm of PLDT Enterprise, was recently given the Chromebook Top Growth 2020 by ASUS Philippines during its virtual ASUS for Business Share 2020: Dealer Gathering Awards ceremony.

The award is in recognition of almost 400% growth of ePLDT in 2020, compared to its performance in the previous year, attributed mostly to fulfilled projects for the BPO and Academe industry clients. This is the biggest growth of ASUS Chromebooks amongst its partnerships in the Philippines. Today, the strategic partnership between PLDT Enterprise and ASUS is continuously strengthened to meet the demands of the Enterprise market.

“We at ePLDT are grateful to receive this honor from ASUS Philippines, which reinforces our continued commitment and support to our customers. This inspires us to strive even harder this year and reach more businesses in different industries with our digital solutions,” said Jovy Hernandez, ePLDT President & CEO and SVP & Head for PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups.

Aside from creating bundled solutions and launching industry campaigns, PLDT Enterprise has recently partnered with Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) to support its member schools’ transition to e-Learning. With this collaboration, PLDT Enterprise will be providing PACU’s member schools with curated ICT services for e-Learning and ASUS Chromebook to be distributed in 196 member learning institution.

This partnership supports transition to e-Learning and to keep pace with schools’ evolving needs, especially at the onset of the pandemic, where there was the immediate need to strengthen digital learning.

“We would like to congratulate ePLDT for their outstanding contribution for the business growth of ASUS Philippines, and we are looking forward to further collaborating with ePLDT and PLDT Enterprise to deliver more solutions that will help various enterprises especially in this new normal,” said George Su, Country Head of ASUS Philippines.

For more information visit epldt.com.

Government agencies join hands in restoration of Cagayan River after Typhoon Ulysses; Build Back Better Task Force starts dredging, bamboo planting

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The promise of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to normalize the lives of Cagayan residents and those in nearby provinces after the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses was further realized as government agencies pooled resources to restore the Cagayan River.

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade joined Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III in launching the Cagayan River Restoration project in Lal-lo, Cagayan on Tuesday, 2 February 2021.

The river restoration work is an effort of the 'Build Back Better' (BBB) Task Force which is composed of officials from the DENR, DPWH, DOLE, and the DOTr.

Assisting the task force is the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the local government units of Cagayan Region. The restoration work involves the dredging of the Cagayan River, as a solution to the flooding woes in the Cagayan Valley area, as well as the planting of bamboo, which will not only help stabilize the riverbanks but will also create livelihood for residents, who were displaced by flooding.

Secretary Tugade said the rehabilitation initiative fulfills the promise of President Duterte to the people of Cagayan during his visit in November.

“Kaya nga ‘ho nandirito kami ngayon upang pasinayaan at bigyang katotohanan ang mandato ng Pangulo sa aming apat - to help rebuild Cagayan, to help bring back hope and restore the beauty and glorious past of Cagayan,” Secretary Tugade said.

The Transportation Chief added that aside from the dredging of the Cagayan River, the planting of bamboo will help the residents earn a living over the next few years.

“Kaya nga ba’t i-dredge [ang ilog], kaya nga ba’t magtanim ka ng kawayan, kaya nga ba’t magbigay ka ng kabuhayan, ‘pagkat gusto naming bigyang-katuparan ang pangako ng ating mahal na Pangulo,” Secretary Tugade added.

During the event, Secretaries Tugade and Bello also announced the granting of a P30 million livelihood assistance for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the region who were affected by Ulysses.

In January, the two Secretaries distributed fiberglass motorized bancas to 100 fishermen in Claveria, Cagayan and “Negosyo Karts” franchises to 100 ambulant vendor-beneficiaries in Ilagan, Isabela.

Secretary Villar meanwhile assured residents that the government is working as a whole to solve the issue of flooding in the Cagayan region. Focus of the restoration work is the dredging of some 7 million cubic meters of sand from 19 sandbars on the river that cover 235 hectares.

He said dredging of the Cagayan River is only a short-term solution, with the long-term solution involving the construction of diversion channels. Secretary Villar has assured that the diversion channels, as well as other infrastructure projects in Cagayan will be finished before President Rodrigo Duterte ends his term.

“Asahan n’yo po na full support ang DPWH sa ating mga infrastructure programs sa Cagayan,” Secretary Villar, also Vice Chairman of the BBB Task Force, stressed.

For his part, Secretary Cimatu, who serves as chairman of the ‘Build Back Better’ Task Force, highlighted that the government is giving priority to the dredging of the Cagayan River.

“Today we are here on a mission, to reduce the perennial flooding in the region of Cagayan Valley. Our government is taking the matter seriously. The equipment and assets of the government are now ready to start the mission,” the DENR Secretary said.

Dredging equipment from the DPWH have been positioned in the priority areas of Lal-lo, Casicallan Norte and Gattaran, Secretary Cimatu said.