Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas starrer, one of the films in Instituto Cervantes' Pelicula Spanish Film Festival

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"Official Competition " is a comedy starring Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martinez and directed by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat and is one of the films to be screened in this year's Pelicula Spanish Film Festival from October 5 to 16 at the Shangrila Plaza cinemas. 

The movie is a satire on filmmaking and the ever-conflicting creative process of putting together a worthy film along with the laundry list of issues that go with it. 'A movie about making a movie” where Lola Cuevas (Penelope Cruz), a Cannes Palme d’Or-winning director gets entangled with her actors, the self-absorbed celebrity Félix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) and Iván Torres (Oscar Martínez), a thespian who is only devoted to the craft above all else. As the characters unfold, each turn takes a jab at each other, which displays a lot of conflated egos and silly turns, the classic trope of actor￾centric production rather than being an assembly line of contributing creatives. In sum, it pokes fun at the moviemaking business but also shows such a great deal of passion for the cinematic craft. 

Official Competition had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on 4 September 2021. It also had been screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in mid September 2021. In Spain, the film was on February 2022 in Spain by Buena Vista International while Protagonist Pictures handled the international distribution rights. 

Pelicula Spanish Film Festival returns to the theaters after two years of online screenings due to the Covid pandemic. Now in its 21st edition, the PELÍCULA Spanish Film Festival is one of the most successful film festivals of Instituto Cervantes globally showcasing a variety of acclaimed Spanish films while fostering better communication between cultures through the art of filmmaking, cinema, and cultural exchange. Its goal is to connect both Spanish and Filipino cultures and audiences through this choice selection of award-winning films. 

PELíCULA 2022 is an initiative of Instituto Cervantes in Manila, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur, the Embassies of Spain in the Philippines and Australia, and the AECID, in collaboration with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, ICAA, the Embassy of Colombia in the Philippines, the Embassy of Panama in the Philippines, the UP Film Institute, the University of the Philippines and Intramuros Administration, Acciona, Vibal Foundation, Philippine Transmarine Carriers, and Rustan’s. 

All the movies are in Spanish (or their original language) with English subtitles. For updates on the Festival, please visit the website of the Festival (https://pelikula.org) or the Facebook page of Instituto Cervantes de Manila: www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila. 

SSS urges individuals, groups to subsidize Job Order, Informal Sector Workers and land-based OFWs’ contributions

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The Social Security System (SSS) aims to transform social security coverage in the country through a new program that encourages individuals and groups to subsidize the monthly contributions of SSS members.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Michael G. Regino said that the Contribution Subsidy Provider Program (CSPP) is an out-of-the-box approach in helping members who are having a hard time paying their social security contributions.

Under this program, a contribution subsidy provider would cover the contributions of self-employed, land-based Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), or voluntary members. “A contribution subsidy provider could be a private or government individual or group willing to subsidize the SSS contributions of identified members,” Regino explained.

Regino said that the SSS would partner with potential contribution subsidy providers who are generous enough to shoulder the contribution payments of chosen SSS members for at least six (6) months. They could become a coverage and collection partner of the SSS through an online Certification with Undertaking or a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). For convenience, contribution subsidy providers can pay the SSS contribution subsidies in any SSS branch with tellering facilities or through an SSS-accredited collection partner.

“We want to provide SSS coverage to workers in the informal sector and land-based OFWs. These workers have the lowest social security coverage in our workforce, and they are among the most vulnerable sector in times of contingencies,” Regino added.

The SSS has been reaching out and encouraging them to continue paying their monthly contributions. However, the pension fund fully understands that it is challenging to pay their SSS contributions regularly because of intermittent income and varied work arrangements.

As an example, government agencies can subsidize the contributions of their job order workers since they are not covered by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). Regino added that private institutions or multinational companies, as part of their corporate social responsibility, can shoulder the SSS contributions of self-employed informal sector workers or land-based OFWs who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

“Subsidizing their SSS contributions is the greatest gift that we can give to a fellow Filipino. It will allow him to gain access to social security benefits which will serve as a cushion that they can rely on in times of emergencies and various contingencies,” Regino concluded.

Japan-affiliated telco InfiniVAN’s Submarine Cable Network project with Globe and Eastern Communications marks new milestone

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Following the landmark Subic Cable Loading Event in July, InfiniVAN, Inc. in a joint-build project with two other Philippine telcos, completed the Siargao landing of a segment of the Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN) in the Municipality of Dapa, Siargao Island on September 22.

InfiniVAN, Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed IPS, Inc. (TSE: 4390) took part in the ceremonial cable pulling event of fiber optic cables that is part of the ongoing cable laying phase of PDSCN. Five (5) of the 24 segments have already been completed to date.

The cable-pulling ceremony was witnessed by Dapa Mayor Elizabeth T. Matugas, Vice Mayor Gerry Abejo and municipal officials along with representatives from InfiniVAN, Inc., Globe Telecom, and Eastern Communications. Once completed, the $150-million joint project that spans around 2,500 km will provide ultra-fast and reliable connectivity across the country.

 
InfiniVAN, Inc. Chief Technology Officer Alberto “Abet” Espedido said that aside from connecting major islands in the country, the project is designed to bring connectivity to tourist destination islands to further boost tourism and other industries in those places.

“We see this as an opportunity to fulfill our objective of providing connectivity to far flung areas. We hope that the project does not only provide good communications infrastructure to Siargao but also help pump-prime the island’s economy,” he said.

Espedido shared that the fiber optic cable technology used in the country’s biggest and longest submarine cable installation is “future-proof.” This means unrepeatered 96- core fiber cables used in the project can handle large data throughputs that can be further expanded through advances in terminal equipment over the next 20 to 25 years.

This InfiniVAN-initiated submarine cable project is a cost-effective solution to building a massive and extensive transmission network through a joint-build arrangement with Globe, the Philippines’ leading digital solutions platform and Eastern Communications, premier telecommunications and ICT solutions provider.

“We consider it an achievement, as a new entrant in the market, to be working with well-established partners on this project that will really make a difference in the next few years. It is gratifying to have so-called industry competitors join hands to provide a very precious resource to our countrymen and the country as a whole, in a most unselfish manner,” Espedido added.

The Express and Western routes connecting Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will be ready by December this year and the remaining Eastern routes will be completed by April 2023.