Who would have thought it will take Manny Pacquiao to beat China to end the Philippines and China’s month long standoff at Scarborough Shoal? Well, at least in this anime video produced by a Taiwanese news site New Media Animation TV. The site called China’s claim of the whole South China Sea as “ridiculous” and encouraged those who agree to like the video.

The video is really funny. First, President Aquino hit the Chine (Panda) several times with what looked like a briefcase but failed to cause some damage. All it took was one punch from Manny Pacquiao to knock out China. Well, wished it’s that easy in real life.

Watch the video below of Pacquiao beating China (Panda).

Pureza: The Story of Negros Sugar is a full-length documentary film dissecting the sugar industry and how it has affected the lives of almost 3 million people in Negros island.

Sugar is the oil that runs the economy of Negros. Negros Occidental alone produces more than half of the total sugar production of the Philippines. Despite the efforts from various sectors to veer away from a monocrop industry,  Negros remained dependent on the sugar industry.

The proverbial image of a Negrense hacendero.

Sugar has been part of the turbulent history of the island where social unrest has been the cause of insurgency in the past. I’m sure most of us has some stereotypical image of the proverbial hacendero (landowner) throwing lavish parties in their palatial mansions while their sacadas toil in the fields. That has been the stigma that Negrenses have to live with for for more than a century.

Pureza refers to the purity of the sugar yield and depends on the different stages in the value chain, from planting to harvesting to milling. It’s an apt title for a documentary which delves  deeper into the historical, cultural and economic aspects of the sugar industry. It looks into the industry not only from the point of view of somebody born into it but also from somebody looking from the outside.

A farm worker planting sugarcane.

The production team were mostly Negrenses/Ilonggo by birth and affinity thus everybody had their own personal story with the sugar industry making the project very personal. Chroma Key technology was used for the Pureza cosplay where they used hundreds of costumes in recreating period scenes retracing the history of sugar in Negros. Animation was also used using the works of Negrense artist Edbon Sevilleno.

The film was produced by Bonfire Productions and Negros Pureza Foundation with support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Although you can say this documentary is mostly funded by hacendero money, Director Abello made sure there will be no “sugar coating”.

Here are the production team which made “Pureza: The Story of Negros Sugar”

Executive Producers J. ABELLO, JOEY GASTON
Producers FIONA BORRES, AGNES VILLAR
Director J. ABELLO
Writers JET ORBIDA, CHECCS OSMEÑA
Editor FIONA BORRES
Director of Photography J. ABELLO
Asst. Director LOVELLE BELLOCILLO
Visual FX Supervisor RICHARD FRANCIA
Sound Engineers ALBERT MICHAEL IDIOMA, ALEX TOMBOC
Music PEARLSHA ABUBAKAR
Researchers IHVONIE SEVILLENO, KAT VALENCIA

Cosplay Actors

Oying Osmeña
Milton Dionzon
Mandy Alimon
Eero Martinez
Dante Amaguin

Pureza: The Story of Negros Sugar will be shown on the following dates and venues:

February 7 -  Premiere at SM City Bacolod Cinema 3, Screenings at 6:30pm and 9:00pm – (by invitation only)
February 11 – Robinsons Place Bacolod as part of the Bacollywood: Cinema Rehiyon 2012. Free Screening at 6:00-8:00pm. For Free Tickets, contact the  secretariat at 09162173010.
February 17 – Regular screening at SM City Bacolod (Regular Screenings at 12:00nn, 2:00pm, 4:00pm) Tickets are available at P120.00 at Café Uma (709-9966) or contact 0932-3065277 | 0917-3012878 | 034-708607

Watch the full trailer below:

Weather used to be the most mundane thing that can be a topic of a discussion. Not anymore. The effects of climate change that we all experience have made us aware how important it is to talk about the weather and to have access to information about the weather. Typhoons Frank and Ondoy have taught us the value of real-time weather information. Fortunately, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is making it possible for us to have access to real-time weather in Bacolod and in different locations in the country.

Last March 10, 2011, DOST turned over an Automated Weather Station (AWS) and Automatic Rain Gauges (ARG) to recipient barangays in Bacolod City. Barangay Felisa received an AWS  while Barangays Alangilan, Estefania and Tangub received ARGs. This is part of the two-year PREDICT Project , which stands for Philippine Real-Time Environment Data Acquisition and Interpretation for Climate-Related Tragedy Prevention and Mitigation. PREDICT is a joint project of DOST agencies Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) and the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Under PREDICT Project, 80 AWS and 100 rain gauges which will be installed in strategic locations in the country. These are meant to complement the existing observation capability of PAGASA. The different remote facilities will gather and transmit observation data to a central server through the cellular network. These data will help prevent and mitigate weather-related disaster. The data can likewise be used by local farmers to increase their crop productivity.

The data can be accessed through the internet by visiting the website of PREDICT. The data for the different sites in Bacolod as well as from other areas in the Philippines already installed with AWS and rain gauges are already available through the website. These are not weather forecasts but actual data gathered by the equipment. These data are updated every 15 minutes so it’s the closest you can get to real-time information which you can access anytime, anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection.

The AWS provide data on wind speed, air pressure, air temperature, air humidity, rain amount, rain duration and rain intensity. The rain gauge on the other hand can provide data on the rain amount. The other data that can be viewed, aside from those previously mentioned, are data specific on the status of the equipment.

Please watch this short tutorial I prepared to give you an idea how to view the data. Please share this with your friends even those abroad so that they may also access the real-time weather in Bacolod in the different locations in the Philippines.

Christmas is always a special time for us Filipinos no matter what our economic situations maybe. The song “Paskwa sa Negros” clearly depicts how Negrenses and the Filipinos in general celebrate Christmas. Let’s not bury the real meaning of Christmas underneath the trappings of commercialism. Watch the video produced by MyChannel TVThirteen and be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ.

Paskwa sa Negros
Music & Lyrics: Maestro Art Madrigal and Rogie Bacosa
Performed by: Young Voices of Negros (Katrina, Kristina, & Kristopherson Madrigal)

Have you tried the Mabukal Resort Slide for Life? Not yet? Well, you are missing a lot. Watch this video if you are not yet convinced to try the Slide for Life. Yes, I’m one of the two shrieking women in the video. Once you get the hang of it, you will actually be looking for a higher and longer slide. I hope Negros will have a longer zipline soon.

The Rediscover Silay is a 40-minute video project of Silay Tourism Office as one of the highlights for the Al Cinco de Noviembre celebration. Know more about this genteel town and its important role in the history of Negros.

This video documentary is another excellent work of Leo Vision Multimedia. I have worked once with a project with Leo Vision and I can attest to their dedication to their craft and the quality of their works. Congrats Gary Lake for another job well done!

Rediscover Silay from Gary Lake Liza/Leo Vision on Vimeo.

Most Negrenses were glued on their TV screen last night as a housemate from Bacolod enters the Pinoy Big Brother House. Rica Paras, 26 is the Math Goddess from Bacolod Iloilo. Don’t be fooled by the looks, Rica is in fact a transvestite. But she has very impressive credentials – she graduated from the Philippine Science High School and  Ateneo.

She will surely make PBB house more exciting especially since her special task is to make the housemates believe that she and Rob are partners.

Update: Rica or Richard Paras is from Iloilo and not from Bacolod.

Negros Island has sugar and more! The “Tubo Kag Madamo Pa” music video showcases the best that Negros Island can offer. According to the  Department Of Tourism, both Negros Occidental and Oriental are among the Top 16 Destinations in the country for the first semester of 2009. Isn’t time for you to discover what the others were raving about? How about going to the Masskara Festival 2009?

Watch the music video to convince you.