The House Committee on appropriation, chaired by Davao City Representative Karlo Alexei Nograles, approved recently the proposed funding provision of the Film Industry Incentives Act.
Apparently, the House panel realized the need to provide incentives to Filipino filmmakers who have been receiving honors in international film festivals.
The bill is in support of the Philippine film industry, said Nograles who last year chaired the panel of judges at the Metro Manila Film Festival that chose the best entries and performers as well as the outstanding creative and technical staff of the films.
The bill, though, is the product of different proposals filed by Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte and Cavite Rep. Strike Revilla.
According to Vargas, there is a need to establish the Special Film Industry Incentives Fund to be administered by the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
The committee thumbed up the proposed Film Industry incentives Act after reviewing its funding provision as contained in Section 6 of the bill.
The amount of P50 million from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and another P50 million from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) shall constitute the incentives fund. Thereafter, such sum shall be included in the annual budget of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).
The bill declares it is the policy of the State to promote and support the development and growth of the local film industry, which includes both mainstream and independent films produced by Filipino filmmakers or production entities that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insights and artistic integrity.
Incentives shall be granted to those whose films merited the highest recognition for technical or artistic excellence in notable international film festivals. The amount of P5 million shall be given to the filmmaker or producer of international-award winning full-length feature or documentary film.
An incentive of P3 million shall be given to the filmmaker or production entity that produces the international award-winning short feature or documentary film.
Meanwhile, a P2 million incentive shall await the film director, main artist, screenplay, or technical support filmmaker personnel, including the scriptwriter, cinematographer, editor, production designer, music scoring, sound director, audio or video technician, who received the highest international awards in their respective categories.
For supporting artists or technicians who garnered the highest award in their respective categories, a P1 million incentive awaits each of them.
Lastly, the international award-winning films automatically shall be qualified to receive an “A” rating from the Cinema Evaluation Board.
The bill refers to international film festivals as those that have given recognition and awards to high-quality films for the last five years and are well known for their international profile, audience size and the quality and breadth of their festival and industry programs.
To be eligible for the P5-million incentive, an international award-winning film must be made or performed by a Filipino filmmaker or production entity as the case may be. The total production budget for each of the full-length feature or documentary film must not exceed P10 million. The film length must be between 90 to 120 minutes.
To be eligible for the P3-million incentive, the film must be made by a Filipino filmmaker or production entity. The total production budget for each of the short feature or documentary film must not exceed P5 million while the film length must not exceed 90 minutes.
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Because of distinct changes on her face and body that made her look outstandingly young, vibrant and beautiful, Korina Sanchez has been hogging the headlines once again.
She welcomed the New Year with that fabulous billboard on Edsa for Belo Thermage and everyone just can’t stop talking about it. The skeptics say the transformation was unbelievable in so many levels. Even her friends took a moment to check if the young looking gal on the billboard was indeed her, but Korina Sanchez douses everyone’s excitement when she comes forward to convince everyone that this is for real. She is for real.
Dr. Vicki Belo, Korina’s personal friend and proponent of Belo Medical Group (BMG), says Korina’s youthful look today is much owed by the beautiful choices that the broadcast journalist has made in this season of her life. The wife of politician Mar Roxas encourages every woman out there to make the same choices that she made as she aims to empower and encourage all women out there that theirs is the choice to be beautiful.
On and off the camera, Korina is a woman who knows how to balance her high profile life. The demands of her profession in the news and public affairs as a broadcast journalist and being a loving wife to Mar calls for a balancing act that can either make or break one. And one look at Korina today-—gorgeous, youthful and fabulous—you would know that she made it and still does it excellently.
Korina’s secret to a tighter, more rejuvenated skin? That’s thanks to Belo Triptique, a unique combination of treatments to achieve a tighter, more contoured skin; BeloThermage, a non-invasive procedure that delivers tighter skin, renewed facial contours and healthier collagen ideal for women 35 years old and up or to anyone who wants to look refreshed and reverse signs of aging with no downtime; EPT or embedded protein threads to lift and contour skin; and the newest Belo Vita, a unique delivery system which uses hyaluronic acid, glutathione and PDRN (polydeoxiribonucleotide) for a hydrated, more youthful looking skin.
She trusts no one else for her Thermage procedure except her Belo family because BMG is the only clinic in the Philippines that has been honored with a Black Diamond award for two consecutive years, a citation that simply proclaims being No. 1 in Thermage nationwide.
Add it to the fact that BMG remains to be the only Filipino aesthetic clinic to be accredited by NABH International thereby upholding world-class standards in patient care. All doctors under BMG, in all of of its13 branches, can be relied upon to give their patients utmost care as they are all Thermage-certified.
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SKYathon Beach Run is back and bigger on its ninth year with the opening of participation to international runners as it aims for greater awareness to raise funds that would help rehabilitate the reefs of Boracay.
Organizers of the first destination run in the country are excited with this development. “Among the avid participants of the race are foreigners vacationing in the island. To open this to international delegates will elevate the race not just to a fun run but a race that the running communities around the world will look forward to each year,” said Delbert Santos, SKY senior marketing manager.
Set to happen on April 21 at Epic Boracay, it features three categories for runners to choose from—3K, 5K, and 10K.
SKY plays its part in protecting nature by supporting this initiative. A portion of the proceeds from SKYathon will go to the coral reef rehabilitation program. Other than reef rehabilitation there is also a mangrove planting partnership with the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the area.
This year SKYathon introduces #LoveBoracay, a call for a turn towards responsible tourism.
Santos said that with the current environmental troubles facing not only the island but also some major tourist spots in the country it’s important for vacationers to keep in mind preserving these natural resources. He said, “This year, besides pushing for the rehabilitation of the coral reefs in Boracay, we’d also like to send out a call to all tourists to take care of the places they are going to. We have to practice responsible tourism so that we can keep the beauty of nature not just for us but most especially for future generations.”
Also back this year is Coach Rio de la Cruz’ RunRio, which will organize the event.
“Since it is RUNRIO’s 4th year in participating the SKYathon run, I am glad that we still continue to organize events like this in Boracay each year. I believe that because of this event we are not only promoting an active and healthy lifestyle to the people, but also saving Boracay itself,’ said De la Cruz.
Registration is ongoing and can be done online through www.runrio.com or onsite via selected branches of registration partners Rudy Project, Chris Sports, and Olympic Village. The Boracay Foundation Inc. Secretariat in Boracay can also accept registrations.