Can't Help Falling In Love with #KathNiel

Seeing them together on screen is not surprising anymore but the manner of how they portray their characters have grown. They just announced this is Grades B by the Cinema Board. Kathryn looks so gorgeous, sunkissed, while DJ is more masculine, as if he's turning to a more mature Padilla as you can see with his stance.

Kath says "If you see our characters, you'll laugh at us because we're doing comedy too. It's not the usual KathNiel, it comes with age I guess even though there is no effort. If there would be some dialogue that would be a wee bit uncomfortable, they are open to do what I suggest more so if it would look more natural. It's an advantage to see different personas, different characters, and the director spots when we actually are doing our other characters from other projects, hopefully you'll see a different woman on Saturday when it shows on theaters. Much different from Barcelona. I also like the fact that everyone is so happy for us, everything is so smooth, KathNiel is so happy too because we don't go out alone, we usually go out in groups because that's good and we don't want to do anything that would hurt our parents and hopefully gain their trust. The hardest thing is how to get along and I see DJ is doing that, it's what is important to me. They always know when something is wrong, we can't hide that and people know, people get affected too so we talk. I often don't talk to him when that happens but work makes it impossible not to talk about it. We need to patch things, even if scenes require us to fight, we really fight and it's normal, but now how we handle it is more mature. Dj is not that jealous, he's more chill now. Relaxed."

Daniel adds "Kathryn is always with her PA before but now she's so independent. She's well adjusted, and decision making is always hers. We are so blessed that we have several good things going for us, this movie, the mall shows, and we see they are excited because even if we're tired, seeing them alone makes us so thankful we're here! When Dos comes out of the story, you'll see how he's different from me, he's very naughty, and we talk about it before a scene so we take great pleasure with what pur Assistant Director does when we're already down and low. He's the life of the party. Mom always knows so she always asks for us to talk, and always know what to say at the right time. If ever there are problems, we just don't talk, but it's different reasons and we just need to think sometimes, make her guilty a bit but talk to her after that." 

The writers say Gab is total opposite with her character and we're playing with it, so if you watch it you'll see how Kathryn gave her all in Gab's persona. Dj has always been an old soul and they say the man has some wisdom, very quiet sometimes but he thinks about it. When they were shooting the film, the writers were so happy that Kathryn and Dj were not at all hesitant, the procedures were very collaborative. They talk and the characters evolve because they add in their take on the role, they consider their opinions on scenes and the Director just filters it if they are going off the character. It's been like that in previous projects too. They are very trusting actors and the Director really appreciates that. 

Can't Help Falling In Love will be seen on 300 cinemas on Black Saturday, go out and watch with your family and make history, try to make this the biggest Star Cinema opening gross please!

KUMAGCOW

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Behind The Scenes: My Teacher Who Doesn't Know How To Read

I've been keeping this article on draft for the longest time as this will be a part of Cinemalaya 2017, a local film festival held annually specifically for non commercially released independent films set at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The festival encourages the creation of new films, made by Filipino film makers and hasten new breed of Directors, writers and people in the industry. The release of this film will be on August and is hosted by the Cinemalaya Foundation Inc. 

When I heard the title of this film written and directed by Perry Escano, I was a little dumbfounded about how a Teacher would be able to teach kids when he wasn't able to read. This is actually a very interesting premise. I mean there could be ways to do it, it's probably how they adapt to their condition, their economic status and life. Though I think this is exactly why they did made it with this title, so people would ask why, make it controversial, an interesting point of conversation right from the moment you see it in a movie poster. That's pretty smart.

The film is starred by Alfred Vargas,  a great actor who by the way is also a Congressman for the 2nd District of Quezon City. I was a little excited to talk to him since he's been in several projects included in Cinemalaya (Colorum in 2009) and a bunch of independent films in his belt. He's still got that charm, a smooth talker, quite pleasing to be with even if it's the first time I've seen him. During this visit, they were shooting several scenes in a forest in Quezon City (location will not be disclosed) and will contain several action sequences as this is partly a story that's got half of its foot inside Philippine rebel forces. Here's a short talk with the good looking man from Quezon City:

As you may have heard, the film is set in a war torn place in Mindanao. Some of these kids are child warriors, employed by rebellious movements which I know happens in real life. At a very young age, how do they learn to read and write? The answer is they don't. These are Filipinos who neither read or write and they grow up with that, incapacitated, not able to proceed and attain educational levels like what normal people do in the city. I bet this is where Alfred's character Aquil will come in, no matter how that sounds so Encantadia, they didn't know nor did they have that name all figured out before filming. It was just as the Director had written it.

We also talked to Perry Escano after the scenes were shot, one interesting thing he told me about was the group that is supposedly involved in this film. It's not mentioned if it's NPA, or MILF, MNLF, or Abu Sayyaf, but he says you'll learn about the group by listening in to their lines. As you may understand there are one or more of these groups present down south and they do exist until now. In a nutshell, there are still some socio-political discussions included in it. These deem important points to discuss for the film to remain relevant, I totally understood that part. Listen in:

Director Perry Escano also mentioned how he chose these kids Miggs Cuaderno, Marc Justin Alvarez and Micko Laurente. Mind you, these kids are no strangers to film projects and already have awards to prove it. When they were already in the cast, and working, they only had very few takes. He felt it was even daunting to choose who to concentrate the most in each scene as they were all good. The Director also touched on how it is difficult to send educators, professors, teachers to war torn provinces, a case that is still existent now. How do you teach these children the basics? When you fear for your life, when you don't even know if you could fall victims to these groups, get kidnapped and be at the pages of newspapers the next day? Would you want your kids to even live in the midst of these people? How important is education to have been even put in a situation that it might even cost your life? Would this film warrant attention? I guess it should, as the writer wanted it to be.

Alvin Barcelona is also part of this film, he confirms these incidents happen as he hails from the area where this occurs. It's not some horror story, or a figment of imagination, he confirms this is real life and worked in the region for years. He knows how education, livelihood and means to live a normal life would end years of armed struggle, because people have no means to live or put food on their table. Here's our interview:

Handpicked for the role months back is Kiko Matos. I talked to him while it was raining hard that evening, but I was glad he wasn't as what media depicted him in his fights with Baron Geisler. He was cool, calm, reflective of the man he wanted to depict, an officer of the Philippine Army. He did shy away from his character and says it was a film about the plight of the kids and how they lived in conflict torn areas. He also tells the story on how he ended up getting the role, and how this film bested about 200 entries for Cinemalaya. He quirps this should be a subject that media hopefully wil discuss lengthily after watching the film.

Here's our interview with Kiko:

 

This would definitely be a promising thing to watch during Cinemalaya 2017 in August. I just also learned they finished filming yesterday (photo below by Erickson Dela Cruz) and I'm sure I'm not the only one excited to see the final product. I hope it does wonders when it shows in CCP and at least stir some interest about the problems they presented in the movie. Aside from Alfred Vargas, the film also includes James Blanco, Mon Confiado, Lou Veloso, a stellar cast and production.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to talk to you, the people behind ANG GURO KONG DI MARUNONG MAGBASA. Honestly, it was my first time to see a Cinemalaya film being worked on and it was not just a set, I saw passion run through the veins of the actors, the Director and writer, the staff and crew that put these things together. It was an honor to be in the midst of hard working people, I really appreciate how you took care of us from the moment we arrived to the hard rain when we bid goodbye.

I hope this film does what it's supposed to do, to move minds and make the viewers know how important education is to everybody. I also fervently hope someone acts on it, because more than the cause and the issue at hand, there are people who continue to live like this until now. 

This is fascinating, and I wish "Ang Guro Kong Di Marunong Magbasa" all the best! Cinemalaya will start around August, make sure you watch this entry along with the final 10 who got in!

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TravelBook.PH's 4th Anniversary Summer Blowout and Special Hotel Rates for Holy Week

It's my first time to actually hear about TravelBook.PH and honestly I haven't used the service. I only use one similar service from another website and never had the opportunity to compare the two. I often used that service because they always say they have the lowest rates and even reward you if you find something lower than their rates. That's exactly where I was wrong, TravelBook.PH has been operating for 4 years now and their published rates include special deals with local hotels as they operate locally too. Case in point, the rates this Holy Week at Seqoia Hotel. 

Same Room, but look at the difference between TravelBook.PH vs AGODA. That's almost 500 pesos per day, money you can buy lunch or dinner with. Crazy!

Now did you know what Manila is the top destination during holy week? A lot of people think they spend time out of town to travel but no, they actually stay at home or do staycations with the family. This has been solidified by the findings in the latest report released by TravelBook.ph using the latest data March-April or this Lenten Season. Aside from Manila, Tagaytay comes close second, then Cebu, Mindoro, Zambales, Palawan, Ilocos Sur, Boracay, Baguio, Albay, Batangas, Pangasinan, Camarines Sur, Davao and Laguna respectively.

When I was also in their 4th anniversary celebration, I learned that you can book online or through their call center at 6621111.You can also conveniently pay through credit card, bank deposit, over-the-counter (OTC) banking, or bayad center facilities. They also have the option of letting you pay at the hotel when you arrive which would be convenient for those who don't have a credit card. Now I don't know of any other hotel booking service that does that and since they are based here, it'll be fast and efficient to attend to your needs if in case you get into problems with your hotel. I'm trying one this Holy Week to have my Mom and Dad stay in one of the hotels nearby so they could get a more comfortable sleep, and perhaps celebrate small things with me and the rest of my family. I'm glad I know TravelBook.ph now, I was fooled by other sites, at least now I have something to compare to. They also are doing a Summer Blowout this month together with specials for Lent. You should check it out before your other hotel booking sites because trust me, there's a huge difference!

I'm glad I got to know TravelBook.ph, here's to more travels and hotel stays in the future!


KUMAGCOW
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Experiencing a Connected Rizal with Smart

We spent a whole day of fun at Rizal particularly in the Antipolo and nearby areas to experience what the biggest network SMART calls a #ConnectedRizal. They've already done this with several cities like Davao and the best island in the world Boracay just so people could see what it feels to have a fast network with infrastructures that are capable of ideal LTE speeds; they have already upgraded the antennas in this part of the country. Mind you, it takes a ton of man hours to actually do it because you have to manually climb the tower and change several things physically in the antenna plus several items in the site (because they have upgraded the switches and transmitters into external ones) wherein before was required to be air conditioned, but now have external versions of it. 

Mon Isberto, Head of Corp Com at PLDT - ‎Smart Communications, Inc says "As we roll out LTE on our networks, we are also preparing for the not so distant future for 5G. We have to pay attention to your devices, we know you need to get the best out of your network. As soon as we complete the upgrade, it will get better."

If you want to experience it too, visit the Antipolo Church and use the OPEN SIGNAL app and test the speed. You'll be surprised at what you'll get in this part of town.

In just a few minutes, it'll test the networks found in the area and if you're not that sure about what you're seeing, take it to another tourist spot like Hinulugang Taktak!

I didn't know Hinulugang Taktak is open already! There are still parts of it being constructed, but you can have picnic and journey in the meditation area by crossing the hanging bridge. I strongly advise though not to breathe in the smell on the actual falls as it is still a little dirty, but pretty soon they will revive this place!

This is the cell site, the one on the side that comes with every cell site contains very sensitive equipment that requires air conditioning. Some of it were transferred outside because of new technology, they now have external switches and boxes that can work even with high temperatures.

I tried climbing up the antenna, but it was too high for comfort. Imagine what network engineers need to do to in order to change those things on top, they have to do it manually because they need to change the structure, plus the boxes too.

Those boxes (large ones are for the new 700 Mhz which they acquired from San Miguel Corp.) while the small ones are for the 3G signals. This is why it takes time to change all of those things, it's not done in an instant.

Joachim Horn, Chief Technology and Information Advisor at PLDT - ‎Smart Communications, Inc says "We don't want to have a network with that image and we're doing significant improvements in areas such as Rizal. Everyday we have hundreds of people putting up network as we need to constantly upgrade and optimize it. We need to have good coverage so you could have good signal so we are rolling out this effort in different parts of the country. We need about 30 permissions for 1 cell site and a lower frequency penetrates buildings better. But they are building new ones and it's one of the work that we are doing everyday. It covers the signal and we build towers to resolve that. It takes 8 months to 1 year to build one, we have made efforts in Rizal and we also have equipment outage and breaks which our engineers have to fix too. We also have power outages, cable theft and natural calamities, but we still have to build a better network possible. As of now we have 2G, 3G, 4G or LTE and it's the fastest right now."

As for the speed, you be the judge. This was done in the afternoon. I wonder if this would also improve slightly one non peak hours, I'm impressed!

He adds "We also have LTE-A and new technologies coming, so we are improving. If you have a good network, you also need a good smartphone with the best sim that supports the network. If you have good network plus good device, you will get the good experience you deserve. We are one of the few countries that support 700MHz and LTE-A (carrier aggregation). It will be better for the more advanced users. Check bit.ly/700mhzdevices if your phone is included. There are not many countries that have this and we are fixing the network as we are currently updating LTE service across 2,500 cell sites in Manila, hopefully to finish 95% of the Philippines by the end of 2018. We're doing 120 in speed tests in Boracay, 80+ in Davao and about the same in Rizal. You will experience that later. Not only Smart, but PLDT is also connected via Fiber networks. We also have Smart Wifi rolled out on airports, sea ports, bus terminals and more. Also if you don't know, mobile data costs less in the Philippines now. We have addressed that problem including fixed broadband price, it's not a fantasy anymore. We are not alone, we need national and local government to standardize permits and fees, allocate property to build infrastructure and the DICT is very supportive, making it 7 days to process it. We also hope you are ready also for 5G in 2020. In the end we want good service for our customers."

So if you're wondering why it's taking a while to change and improve your network speed, I hope I got you to at least get a glimpse of how it works behind the scenes. If you think your village or community is hampering with the building of these cell sites, make your presence felt and tell them that it's not harmful to have one in your place because it's also been certified by local and international institutions, including DOH. Don't complain about your signals if you are in areas where they put up policies that don't allow these antennas to be placed because in some way, YOU are the problem. It's good news though that agencies and local government units are now supporting network companies to standardize the papers in putting up cell sites, that would really make the process faster because of less red tape. Thanks to SMART for letting us experience a #ConnectedRizal, I hope I can say the same #ConnectedQuezonCity pretty soon, as I know they still have a lot of cell sites to improve in the coming months, and years. The effort alone is something I really appreciate and I hope a lot of people do to. As you may have witnessed, this BIG job is no joke.

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