LPU Broadcasting majors brace for more filmfests, grants

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Broadcasting students from Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Manila are preparing to join more film festivals and apply for production grants after gracing several events organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).


LPU Manila Central Student Government (LYCESGO) Secretary – College of Arts and Sciences Representative Gwyneth Zoe Madrid led her fellow Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting seniors Shadrach Corro, Maryzusie Gaspi, Patricia Lorein Morales, Mikhaella Navarro, Sam Pineda, Angelo Gutierrez Relucio, and Ellaine Sta. Cruz, as they attended screenings for UFlix, a platform for short films made by Filipino students, and a forum gathering student filmmakers and educators at the Cinematheque Centre Manila. They also represented the LPU League of Young Communication Artists and Journalists (LYCAJ).

“The FDCP’s UFlix gave us a glimpse of hope amidst the drastic situation of the Filipino film industry. As a media practitioner and a soon-to-be filmmaker, we must hold the line and produce relevant films that will continue to tell the stories of the masses, most especially the unseen and unheard,” Madrid shared.

Meanwhile, Relucio, who serves as LPU Manila Chorale Property Manager, echoed Madrid’s sentiments. “It brings potential information for students who wish to pursue this passion, and it presents an excellent chance for me to embrace and fulfill my ambition.”

The Cinematheque Centres nationwide screened films from different student filmmakers, film organizations, and production teams. With its aim to extend support for the industry, the FDCP is building a platform to provide support, and make resources more accessible in the academic setting.

The LPU Broadcasting seniors plan to participate in the program as they have also wrapped up shooting their short films for their Production of Text for Broadcasting, Interactive, and Emerging Media class.

“Palit Ulo,” directed by Rizza Camingawan and written by Muriel Barcenas for Arim Productions, was adjudged Best Film among the POT Shorts while “Panyong Puti,” written and directed by Sta. Cruz for Alab Production, received the Special Jury Award.

Camingawan and Barcenas collaborated with executive producer Gaspi, assistant director Morales, cinematographer and editor Edrian Kagahastian, and camera operator Louise Althea Bukas. Sta. Cruz, on the other hand, got ample support from assistant director and co-writer Janil Versola, creative director and wardrobe stylist Rovic Ramos, director of photography Jonathan Ducado, videographer Cayler Filio, and editor Pineda.

Completing the POT Shorts are “Akala” from director and production manager Corro, assistant director Nica Mae Macam, writer Hanna Legaspi, camera person and editor Kiarra Faye Manlapig, and lights crew Jared Aguilar and Myra Contreras; “Ay?!” from director Allyiah Astorga, executive producer Madrid, assistant director Relucio, scriptwriter Marielle Valencia, DOP Jonathan Ducado, and actor Regelyn Toledo; and “Tikom” from director Jonnalyn Alday, producer and PM Navarro, scriptwriter Julce Marie Reyes, cinematographer and editor Miguel Serrano, and production designer Ayessa Emille Estrellado.

FDCP’s initiatives aimed at cultivating a new generation of filmmakers, such as the Academic Film Society and the Student Film Assistance Program, are set to be launched this month. The AFS is a program that will connect schools, colleges, and universities with existing film programs, film clubs or related student organizations.

DepEd, partner agency introduces e-learning course to strengthen child protection

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The Department of Education (DepEd), in partnership with the Stairway Foundation Inc. (SFI), launched an e-learning course to better capacitate school-based Child Protection Committees (CPCs).

The DepEd Learner Rights and Protection Office (LRPO) introduced the said initiative in commemoration of Safer Internet Day Philippines 2023.

Vice President and Secretary of Education Sara Z. Duterte lauded the LRPO for fulfilling its mandate of giving quick aid to learner victims and supporting the Department’s current intervention mechanisms and care coordination.

“We firmly believe that protecting our students from the dangers the internet poses and providing them meaningful access to digital tools that let them exercise their civil, political, economic and social rights to the fullest extent possible are both imperative,” VP-Sec. Duterte said.

The e-learning course is composed of at least five-hour video lessons, subdivided into 15- to 30-minute discussions of identified significant topics and can be accessed through https://www.deped.gov.ph/e-learning-courses/.

It was created to enhance the knowledge and awareness of participants on various child protection concerns that learners might face, and build familiarity and awareness of the various DepEd policies and issuances pertinent to child protection.

“We hope that our regional office focal persons, school division office focal persons, and school Child Committee Protection members across the entire country will benefit from this e-learning course, which can be accessed on DepEd’s LRPO website, which will be redirected to SFI’s e-learning platform,” Atty. Suzette Gannaban-Medina, Officer-In-Charge of the LRPO, said.

“Let us remember that the safety of our learners—both online and offline—is our shared responsibility,” she added.

Moreover, the asynchronous training also aims to clarify the roles and responsibilities of school-based CPCs and enhance their awareness on how to handle child protection concerns.

A pilot run was conducted from December 16, 2022 to January 31, 2023 with 146 CPC members from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao completing the course.

“To dedicate one’s life to child protection is to become a wall that separates children from cruelty, to be the arms that embrace them in times of uncertainty, and the hands that guide them towards a brighter future,” Undersecretary for Operations Atty. Revsee Escobedo stressed.

For more information about LRPO initiatives, visit https://www.deped.gov.ph/learner-rights-and-protection-office/ or email at weprotectlearners@deped.gov.ph or contact (02) 8637-2306 and (02) 8632-1372, 0917-572-0088.

Newly-discovered gene links breast cancer to stress and changes in exposure to light and dark

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NIMBB researchers have just discovered a gene called Krüppel-like factor 9 (KLF9) that links the effects of stress, regulation of the light-dark cycle, and breast cancer. (Image credit: Weand Ybañez)

New research from the University of the Philippines - Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) has found a conclusive link between stress, altered light-dark cycles—such as in the cases of night shift workers and frequent international travelers—and breast cancer.

Molecular biologist Dr. Pia Bagamasbad and her student, Weand Ybañez, at the UPD-National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) discovered a gene called Krüppel-like factor 9 (KLF9) that suppresses tumor growth and links the effects of stress, regulation of the light-dark cycle, and breast cancer. In their study, the researchers found that KLF9 is suppressed in breast tumors compared to normal breast tissue, and that KLF9 is affected by stress hormones and changes in a person’s exposure to light and dark.

Normal body function involves a regular 24-hour pattern of biological activity, called the “circadian cycle,” which is mainly controlled by the 12-hour light-dark cycle that, in turn, regulates several bodily functions such as sleeping and waking, digestion, and the action of various hormones at different times of the day.

In normal breast tissue, the researchers found that KLF9 exhibits a cyclical pattern as part of a healthy circadian cycle. However, this regular pattern is lost in highly-aggressive breast cancer. Since KLF9 suppresses the growth and spread of breast cancer cells, these research findings show a direct link between stress hormones and changes in the circadian cycle—such as lack of sleep—on breast cancer risk and development.

The NIMBB research team underscored the value of maintaining a regular circadian cycle in their study, warning of the negative effects of disruptions in the regularity of the circadian cycle: “Circadian disruption is an emerging driver of breast cancer , with epidemiological studies linking shift work and chronic jet lag to increased breast cancer risk,” they noted in their research paper, which was published just last February 23 in the journal, Cancer Cell International.

“These findings have potential far-reaching implications not just on our understanding of how cancer develops and spreads and how it can be effectively managed, but more importantly emphasize the need for policies and interventions that can safeguard the overall health and wellness of women working in industries involving disruption in the regular circadian cycle”, Dr. Bagamasbad said.