Feast of Saint Anthony Claret on Oct. 24

by Christina Hermoso, MB

Roman Catholics will celebrate on Monday, Oct. 24, the Feast of Saint Anthony Mary (San Antonio Maria) Claret, a popular Spanish saint, and founder of the Claretians.

St. Anthony Mary Claret (Catholic Online)

Commemorative masses will be held at the San Antonio Maria Claret Parish in Old Balara, Quezon City. Novena masses in his honor will be offered from Oct. 15 to 23. 

St. Anthony Mary Claret is a well-loved Spanish bishop and founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, more popularly known as the Claretians.

Ordained priest in the year 1835, St. Anthony was a missionary worker, confessor, preacher, and religious writer. He authored around 200 spiritual books, the most famous of which was “The Right Way,” which was read by millions of Roman Catholics across the world. He promoted the teaching and discipline of the clergy and popularized devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the holy rosary.

Born in Catalonia, Spain on Dec. 23, 1807, he served as archbishop of Santiago in Cuba for seven years. In 1849, he founded the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, whose main apostolate was local and foreign missions. The Claretians, in the early 21st century had over 450 houses and 3100 members, with missions in five continents,

In 1842, the Vatican declared St. Anthony as an “Apostolic Missionary.” He died in 1870 and was canonized by Pope Pius XII on May 7, 1950.

The films that made it to MMFF 2022

by Stephanie Bernardino

The eight entries to the 48th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) were finally announced.

The selection committee headed by veteran actress Boots Anson Rodrigo said they picked the eight films based on the following criteria – 40% for artistic excellence, 40% for commercial appeal, 10% for Filipino cultural values, and 10% for global appeal.

The final four are Nadine Lustre’s horror movie “Deleter” directed by Mik Red and produced by Viva Communications, Inc.; Noel Trinidad and Liza Lorena’s family drama “Family Matters” directed by Nuel Naval and produced by Cineko; Edu Manzano, Aljur Abrenica, and Paolo Gumabao’s action-drama “Mamasapano: Now It Can Be Told” directed by Lester Dimaranan and produced by Borracho Film Production; and Jake Cuenca, Dimples Romana’s drama “My Father, Myself” directed by Joel Lamangan and produced by 3:16 Media Network. 

The first four official entries based on script submissions were announced last July.

These are: Coco Martin and Jodi Sta. Maria’s “Labyu With An Accent” by ABS-CBN Film Productions; Vice Ganda and Ivana Alawi’s “Partners In Crime” by ABS-CBN Film Productions; Joey de Leon and Toni Gonzaga’s “The Teacher” by TEN17P; and Ian Veneracion, Heaven Peralejo, and Mon Confiado’s “Nanahimik Ang Gabi” by Rein Entertainment Productions.

With this year’s message “Balik Saya sa MMFF 2022” the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and MMFF Concurrent Acting Chairman Engr. Carlo Dimayuga III urged moviegoers to support the festival, which has been part of the Filipinos’ Christmas tradition over the years.

The 48th MMFF will run from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7, 2023.

Jean Kiley explores Latin dance pop in ‘Te Amo’

by Punch Liwanag, MB

Singer-actress-host Jean Kiley is out with a delightfully catchy and body-moving new song.

Titled “Te Amo,” the song is a Latin pop-tinged number written by the former Pop Girl member herself.

Note the song also features actress Ella Cruz and singer Krissha Viaje.

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According to Jean, she is simply going to her first love, which is dancing, with “Te Amo.”

She added, “I am a big fan of dance music. Hearing Latino style sounds, reggaeton and the like makes people groove a little and dance. That’s the quality that attracted me to it rather than the usual solemn, mellow songs that we listen to now.”

She also added that she went for her gut feeling when it came to choosing what style of  music to do next. “Dance music has always been a passion project that I always wanted to do.”

As to what led her to collaborate with Ella and Krissha, Jean said, “I love K pop and it was my dream to do a collaboration with people who share the same enthusiasm for K pop. I happen to know that Ella and Krissha are big K pop fans themselves. So we clicked on our common interests.” 

Jean wrote “Te Amo” in the early days of the Pandemic. “My demo was only an acoustic version. I reached out to a producer friend to collaborate. We arranged the song together and finally got the version we wanted.”

Jean also wrote the rap verse for the song and on the spot, while she was already in the studio to record the tune.

As for the theme of “Te Amo,” Jean is doubling down on his K pop influence. “I was inspired by a character in a K-drama I watched on Netflix. After watching, I wrote down the lyrics about the characters feelings, then got my guitar, found the right chords to back up my melody. After about an hour or so, I finished the song while I snacked on some dark chocolates.” 

Jean revealed that it was a scene from the hit drama “Itaewon Class.”

“The song is all about Kim Da Mi’s character Jo Yi Seo’s feelings,” Jean shared. “You know when you love someone, you get butterflies, you want to say it, confess, you want them to like you back, you’re kinikilig and all that, I just translated those feelings into words.”

“Te Amo” is now available in digital music platforms.

Agricultural damage of Typhoons ‘Maymay’, ‘Neneng’ reaches P583.45M — DA

by Jel Santos, MB

The agricultural damage caused by Typhoons “Maymay” and “Neneng” has reached P583.45 million, the Department of Agriculture (DA) bared on Friday, Oct. 21.

FLOOD caused by severe tropical storm ‘Neneng’ shuts down the Claveria Detour Bridge on the Manila North Road in Claveria, Cagayan on Sunday, Oct. 16. (DPWH/Alain Garret Badiang)

Per the DA’s Bulletin No. 5, the areas covered in the estimate are Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley, devastating 21,986 hectares of agricultural areas. 

Around 21,324 farmers and fishers have been affected by Maymay and Neneng.

The agriculture department pegged the production loss at 36,872 metric tons.

Rice, corn, high-value crops, livestock and poultry, and fisheries are among the commodities affected, the DA said.

The agriculture department explained that the values of damage and losses for Maymay and Neneng have been combined as the “two tropical cyclones occurred in a span of one week and affected the same agricultural areas in CAR, Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley.” 

According to the DA, it is constantly coordinating with concerned national government agencies, local government units, and other disaster risk reduction and management-related offices on the impact of tropical cyclones, as well as available resources for interventions and assistance.

Mobile Kadiwa centers are being prepared for deployment in areas impacted by Maymay and Neneng in order to stabilize agri-fishery commodity prices and supply, it added.

Here is the list of aid made available by the DA for affected farmers and fishers:

• Rice, corn and assorted vegetable seeds
• Drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry
• Fingerlings and assistance to affected fisherfolk from Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)
• Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) with loanable amount of up to P25,000 payable in three years at zero interest
• Quick Response Fund (QRF) for the rehabilitation of affected areas

BOI holds regional cold chain roadshows in Cebu, Davao, and Pampanga

Aiming to grow investments in cold chain to increase warehousing capacity in the

Philippines, BOI holds regional cold chain roadshows in Cebu, Davao, and

Pampanga.

In an aim to grow investments in the country’s cold chain industry that is seen to eventually

increase the cold chain warehousing capacity nationally, the Philippine Board of

Investments (BOI) is holding a series of Supra-Regional Cold Chain Industry Roadshows

initially in three major regions of the country from October to November 2022 and the rest of

the other regions next year.

Described as inclusive, stakeholder-driven, and market-oriented, the Philippine Cold Chain

Industry Roadmap eyes to increase local cold chain warehousing capacity by 50,000 pallet

positions each year in the short term by generating investments in the industry and address

the increasing demand, particularly in the agribusiness sector.

The first leg was held in Mandaue City in Cebu on October 12. The subsequent roadshows

will be held in Davao City on October 25, and Clark in Pampanga on November 9.

The Cebu-round covered those coming from Regions 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central

Visayas), and 8 (Eastern Visayas). The Pampanga-round, meanwhile, will cover

participating firms from Regions 1 (Ilocos Region), 2 (Cagayan Valley Region), 3 (Central

Luzon Region), and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) . On the other hand, the Davao

roadshow will include Region 10 (Northern Mindanao), 11 (Davao Region), and 12 or South

Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos City

(SOCCSKSARGEN region).

During the roadshows, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) will provide

the regional economic situation, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will present the

Agriculture and Fisheries Performance and Cold Chain services needs while Land Bank of

the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines will present financing

opportunities. Also, initiatives of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization

(UNIDO) through its Food Cold Chain (FCC) Project specifically the Cold Chain Innovation

Hub will be discussed.

A significant part of each roadshow is the one-on-one consultation between the prospective

investors and the BOI, DA, UNIDO, LBP, and DBP.

The roadshows are BOI’s platform to inform prospective investors on the recent

legislative/policy developments such as the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for

Enterprises (CREATE) Act and the Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP) and

amendment of the Public Service Act (PSA) that liberalized foreign equity participation in

cold storage warehousing activities.

Significantly, the development of the country’s cold chain industry will lead to reduced post-

harvest losses, longer shelf life of food, a deeper linkage of the production and

manufacturing sectors, and deeper integration with the domestic and global value chains.

FOR MORE INFORMATION/REFERENCE, PLEASE CONTACT:

BOI Information and Communications Division

Office Address: 3/F Board of Investment Bldg. #385 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. Makati City 1209

Telephones: 8897.3086 / 8897-6682 local 277 | E-mail: infocomms@boi.gov.ph

PR2022-090

Moreover, the roadshows will not only result in leads in generation for the cold chain but will

also be critical in meeting the BOI’s target to generate new cold chain capacity to serve

particularly the agribusiness sector.

The BOI is focused on the development of the country’s cold chain industry. Last February,

the BOI, the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), and InsightSCS Corp. signed a

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop a cold chain integrated supply chain

solution in the Philippines – the “Development of a Cold Chain Integrated Supply Chain

Solution for Evidence-based Policy Making and Investment Programming.” The said

partnership aims to utilize data analytics to identify best locations for prospective cold chain

projects and digitally onboard cold chain operators through the DELIVER-E 2.0 platform.