Maniolas

Francis Xavier Pasion with his trophy [via Facebook] Bwaya (Crocodile), an indie film based on actual events involving deadly Philippine crocodiles won for the Philippines its first gold at the Vesoul International Film Fest of Asian Cinema in France. Bwaya director Francis Xavier Pasion received the Golden Rickshaw award or Cyclo D’ Or at 21st Festival International Des Cinémas D’ Asie (FICA) in February. The festival’s Golden Cyclo top jury prize was awarded by four international jurors led by its chairman director Wang Chao of China, Mohammad Rasoulof from Iran, Prasana Vithanage of Sri Lanka, and Laurice Guillen of the Philippines. The film tells the story of Divina, a mother who searches for her child after receiving news that her child Rowena has been attacked by crocodiles in the Agusan del Sur marshlands of Mindanao in Southern Philippines. The film stars Angeli Bayani who plays Divina to Jolina Salvado’s Rowena, together with Karl Medina and RS Francisco. Ninety films competed at the FICA Vesoul festival which was created in 1995 and is one of the most popular events in Europe attended by thousands, recording an audience of 30,000 in 2014. Pasion, an Ateneo de Manila University graduate is currently an ABS-CBN network television director. Bwaya received its first international recognition winning as Best Film at the Tokyo Filmex in 2014. The film which was first recognized at the Cinemelaya 2014 Philippine Independent Cinema Festival, is helping raise local and international cultural and social awareness. The post Bwaya wins Gold at Asian Read More …

Illac Diaz with Al Gore [via Facebook] A Filipino social enterprise distributing do-it-yourself house lamps, lanterns, and streetlights to impoverished communities has won the prestigious 7th Zayed Future Energy Prize 2015. MyShelter Foundation’s A Liter of Light project won the world’s biggest award for renewable energy and sustainability in the Non-Profit Organization category for its ingenious solar bottle bulb which reuses empty plastic soda one-liter bottles, turning them into solar-powered light bulbs. Founder and Executive Director Illac Diaz of the A Liter of Light project leads his team in teaching communities how to manufacture and install the solar light bulbs, in the process collaborating with local governments to install 12,000 solar bottle bulbs, providing light for 10,000 homes in Manila and surrounding Philippine provinces. The technology is simple enough, developed by Diaz after coming across the original bottle light technology while studying alternative architecture and urban planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The repurposed plastic bottle is filled with bleached water, installed on the roof, and as sunlight is refracted through the water and coursed into the room, a solar-powered 55-watt bulb is lighted up. The night lights version uses a small solar panel, four LED lights, a simple circuit, a battery, some plastic tubing, and the plastic soda bottle. The resulting three-watt bulbs provide enough light to a 15 square meter area. The circuits are designed to automatically switch on and off when detecting the presence or absence of daylight. A 10-ft PVC pipe can transform the Read More …

Mister International 2014, Mariano Perez Flormata Jr. [via Facebook] Filipino police officer Neil Perez won the Mister International 2014 male pageant held in Ansan, South Korea. Perez, whose real name is Mariano Perez Flormata Jr., is the first Filipino to win the title. Perez also placed 2nd Runner Up in the Best National Costume category. Perez wore a Dinagyang-inspired national costume designed by Filipino designer Edwin Uy. The Mister International winner is a bomb and explosives technician with the Philippine National Police (PNP) Aviations Security Group. He dedicated his efforts to 44 fellow police officers of the Special Action Force who died in the controversial Mamasapano, Maguindanao clash on January 25. Perez Flormata, whose participation in the pageant is supported by the PNP leadership, earlier declared he joined the pageant to promote wellness. The Police Officer 2 of the PNP won over 1st Runner Up placer Mister Lebanon Rabih El Zein, 2nd Runner Up placer Czech Tomáš Dumbrovský, 3rd Runner Up placer Polish Rafal Maslak, and 4th Runner Up placer Mitja Nadizar from Slovenia. Forty two countries vied for the 9th Mister International title that Perez Flormata won. The post Police officer Neil Perez wins Mister International 2014 appeared first on Good News Pilipinas. Related posts: Medical technician wins Mrs Asia International Tourism Philippines wins 2013 Miss Tourism International in Malaysia Cebuana beauty Jamie Harrell wins Miss Earth 2014 Bea Rose Santiago crowned 2013 Miss International

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez [by Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage.com via The 57th Grammy’s] The musical works of Filipino-American composer Robert Lopez with writing partner and wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez received major awards at the 2015 Annual Grammys. The songwriting duo’s huge hit, “Let It Go” sung by Idina Menzel for the film blockbuster “Frozen” won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media, besting The Hobbit’s “I See Fire,” The Lego Movie’s “Everything is Awesome,” Her’s “The Moon Song,” and Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me’s “I’m Not Gonna Miss You.” The couple also received the Grammy for Frozen as the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, along with album compilation producers Tom MacDougall & Chris Montan. The Walt Disney Records album release beat American Hustle, Get On Up: The James Brown Story, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1, and The Wolf of Wall Street. The Grammy is a recognition given by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The couple has previously won awards for the same song, taking home two Oscars last year. Lopez is the 12th and youngest person to join the elite circle of EGOT winners, the nick for an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award in a span of 10 years. The post Fil-Am Let It Go composer wins 2015 Grammy Award appeared first on Good News Pilipinas. Related posts: Fil-Am composer wins Oscar for Frozen’s Let It Go Read More …

Refinery [via Facebook] Manila has been ranked as the second best city in the world to have coffee in a list released by independent travel website Matador. The country’s major city made it to the Matador “11 of the world’s best cities for coffee lovers” list this January by travel journalist Elyssa Goldberg. The article cited the growth of the “Third wave coffee” movement in the city. The third wave of coffee refers to the production of high-quality coffee where coffee is treated like artisanal foodstuff instead of a commonplace commodity. Third-wave coffee shop Duck and Buvette at the Shangri-La Plaza mall in Mandaluyong was noted for serving “V60 pour-overs of Intelligentsia beans alongside fully-composed dishes like duck confit and candied bacon.” Refinery in Makati was credited for “…adding flavored coffee drinks – an orange-infused cappuccino, for instance – to its roster, on top of more traditional espresso drinks.” Also mentioned were Toby’s Estate, Craft Coffee Revolution, and Yardstick as among the leaders of the latte art rosettes and cafe culture. The city of Sacramento in California was ranked first for its locally owned coffee shops. The city has one of the highest numbers of independent coffee shops per capita among all United States cities. The 11 of the world’s best cities for coffee lovers: Sacramento Manila Vancouver Dublin Taipei Oslo Denver Paris Moscow Bangkok Auckland Founded in 2006, Matador refers to itself as a global community of travel journalists, filmmakers, athletes, photographers, and writers producing original stories and videos Read More …