More viewing options for Filipino film buffs

JADINE. Head-on collision with the John Lloyd Cruz-Jennylyn Mercado starrer.

TIME was, during local movies’ decade-long slump, when only around two new Filipino films would be shown each month. The tough times must be easing up, because the average has gone up to—one a week!

In fact, the current viewing week is turning out to be a relative bonanza, because two new “maindie” flicks opened last May 4—“Just the 3 of Us” with John Lloyd Cruz and Jennylyn Mercado, and “This Time” with Nadine Lustre and James Reid.

Insiders share that this wasn’t originally meant to be—one of the movies was supposed to open last week, but it pushed its playdate back to get out of the way of a big “imported” blockbuster.

Ideally, Filipino movies shouldn’t have to compete with each other for viewers’ favor. But, it’s “forced to good” time, so we hope that Filipino film fans will patronize both local productions—everybody happy!

Arts for nation-building

Only a few of our candidates in the May 9 polls have strong official campaign platforms for using the arts and culture in nation-building.

All the more reason, then, for the country’s millions of artists and their families to use their collective voting clout to make sure that our next government leaders will give the often overlooked and underappreciated creative industries the importance they deserve.

These are some of the changes and improvements we’re rooting for: The creation of a separate Department of Arts and Culture, to “feed” and empower the country’s soul, even as other departments focus on more physical concerns and objectives. The soul is at least as important as the body, so this new development is urgently needed.

Even more specifically, the new administration should counter our “deathless” and psychologically debilitating colonial mentality by reviving the Filipino First policy in the arts, supporting, promoting and subsidizing local works, instead of the “imported” variety that is currently preferred.
In addition, decisive moves need to be initiated in the use of arts in education, talent training, building up the youth audience, arts centers and performance venues in smaller towns and communities, promoting regional and ethnic arts, and the use of traditional and new media in arts expression and communication.

—So many new initiatives! But, they’re all worth doing, because their fruits are transformative—and long-delayed.

‘Halalan 2016’

Just in time for the May 9 polls, composer-producer Lourdes “Bing” Pimentel (“Cory, The Musical,” “Huwag Pumayag sa Dagdag-Bawas,” “Nasaan si Hesus?,” “Pag-ibig sa Bayan”) has come up with “Halalan 2016,” a new song-and-rap anthem for the elections which is being played on radio and TV to remind voters of their sacred duty to elect honest, competent and deserving leaders.

The anthem is composed by Pimentel, and interpreted by Nolan Bernardino and Pow Chavez, with music produced by Alisson Shore.

Some of its cautionary reminders include these lyrical and rapped “sound bites”—“Dapat maka-Diyos!”; “Hindi mandaraya!”; “Demokrasyang pinatay, ’di dapat kalimutan!”; “Boto ay sagrado!”—etc.