'Sitio Diablo' comes to Vivamax

Home is commonly defined as a place where one lives and feels most safe and secure. It is supposed to be a haven and a comfort zone.

But in a place called Sitio Diablo, home is defined a little differently. It becomes a place of riot and anger. A place not for rest but for endless chaos.

A Vivamax Original Movie, "Sitio Diablo" premieres August 26, streaming exclusively on Vivamax.

Gang wars and an unending list of crimes — this is the everyday life in Sitio Diablo, the kind of life Aina (AJ Raval) is used to. Growing up in a family of gang leaders, Aina is no stranger to dealing with drugs, robbery, illegal firearms, and even murder. She is deeply influenced by her late father and her incarcerated brother, Tonix (Benz Sangalang), who were the leaders of their town's most notorious gang, the Los Hijos Diablos.

After Tonix is behind bars, the Los Hijos Diablos loses its members and brings the gang to a downfall. It paves the way for the town to form other gangs with strong and notorious members, one of which is the Illustrado, led by Bullet (Kiko Estrada), who is also the partner of Aina. Together, they become the leaders of the Illustrado gang and the king and queen who rules around Sitio Diablo.

But their short reign immediately faces trouble when they learn that Tonix has been released from prison and plans to reclaim his seat as their town's most notorious gang leader. This awaits a gang war that is yet to be the most brutal and bloodiest battle Sitio Diablo will ever witness.

Sitio Diablo is a sexy-action film starring one of the most talked about actresses today, and Vivamax's Maximum Crush, AJ Raval together with young and talented actors Kiko Estrada in his first Vivamax movie and Benz Sangalang. The movie also stars talented hiphop artists like Pio Balbuena, Cean Jr., Ace Raval, Just Hush and Because.

From Viva Films and the Cult director, Roman Perez, Jr., prepare for the deadliest riot y and watch as their little town becomes a war zone.

The last word

The last word is the best news of all. A happy ending after all? Really?

"The Last Word" is an offbeat romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Geoffrey Haley. It stars Winona Ryder and Wes Bentley. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and it had a wider release in 2008.

We sense it at rare moments. We see the good, the beauty in new crops, in flowers, in sunshine, and even in rain. Last night's thunderstorm in Davao City scarred me a lot. Lightning, flood… wow.

This world may be full of pollution, war, crime, and hate. But inside us, all of us, linger remnants that remind us of what the world could be like – of what we could be like.

The Old Testament prophets dreamed of “that day”, when creation would be made new. And those sensations, following a dismal monotone of predicted catastrophes, burst out of the last few chapters of Revelation. That perfect world is not merely a dream. Yes, I am pretty sure, it will come true.

I really enjoy reading Revelation again and again. Revelation shows us a new world at last. There will be no more tears then nor pain.

Revelation ends on a note of great triumph. Somehow, out of all the bad news augured here, good news emerges-spectacular Good News. I remember my radio show hosting on a Good News Radio FM-station in Davao City more than 20 years ago. Yes, good news.

To those who believe, Revelation becomes a book not of fear, but of hope. God will prevail. All will be made new.

The Bible began, remember, back in Genesis, with a tragic defeat, when humanity, made in the image of God, rebelled. It ends with a reunion – a marriage, Revelation calls it. A happy ending after all…

A perfect world? How could you design it? What would it look like? I am really waiting for your comments and suggestions.