Framing the Future: Mapúa SoMDA, Sony PH hold film workshop

 

Wazzup Pilipinas?!

 

Mapúa University School of Multimedia and Digital Arts recently teamed up with Sony Philippines Film School Caravan to host “Framing the Future: The Essential Gears and the Stories You’ll Tell.”

The film workshop served as a bridge between high-end technology and the art of the narrative, specifically designed for students and aspiring visual storytellers.

“Framing the Future” featured highly acclaimed Filipino cinematographer Tey Clamor, LPS, who is known for her work on films such as “Isa Pa With Feelings,” “Balota,” “Metamorphosis,” and “Babae at Baril.” Clamor shared her professional insights and technical expertise during the event.

The session provided attendees with deep dives into cinematic storytelling and industry trends, practical knowledge on the tools required for modern filmmaking, and a unique opportunity for students to test the latest Sony cameras and equipment firsthand.

Mapúa Multimedia Arts program chair Aleia Garcia acknowledged the Sony Philippines team led by Demand Creation Executive Allison Datu, Senior Marketing Executive for Digital Imaging JD Domingo, Marketing Executive for Digital Imaging Ralph Salazar, and Marketing Communications Manager Pearl Lumanao, as well as Aputure Philippines Marketing Associate Razel Olifernes for partnering with the school to organize the workshop.

Garcia also thanked SoMDA Dean David Corpuz, Creative Cluster Head Jonah Lim, Digital Film program chair Karen Rey, Broadcast Media program chair Norman Manalaysay, The New Builder adviser Seymour Sanchez, Hiraya Student Council led by adviser Ian Boots Bautista, and faculty and students who took their time to attend the event.

A heartfelt acknowledgement was also given to SoMDA technical assistant Ruby Sagun, who recently passed away, for her tireless support throughout the planning process.

Beyond technical training, the workshop focused on encouraging attendees to embrace the beauty of storytelling through moving images. By sharpening their craft and discovering new tools, students are empowered to tell stories that will set them apart in a competitive industry.

“To everyone here, please know that this is more than just an event. This is to encourage ourselves to embrace the beauty of storytelling whether through film, photography, or writing. This is our shared purpose,” Garcia concluded.

The Sony Philippines Film School Caravan 2026 will next visit the Mowelfund Film Institute with Clamor and commercial director and Sony Product Expert Nigel Laxamana for Cinematic Live Production with the Sony Cinema Line on February 5, and CIIT College of Arts and Technology with award-winning filmmaker Lee Briones-Meily on Feb. 6.

Adoption training program boosts rice production in Guimba

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 




In Barangay Lamorito, one of Guimba’s 64 villages, 24 farmers, including women, are taking part in a classroom-style training program aimed at improving rice production. The initiative seeks to raise farm productivity while contributing to broader food security goals.




One of the participants is Rina Pagaracan, a rice farmer who manages a one-hectare farm together with her husband.




“The better we learn about improved farming practices, the better we can sustain our everyday needs,” she said.




Rina is among more than 100 farmers trained in good palay farming practices under a project led by the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) of Guimba, the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF), and the Cooperative Enterprise for True Economic Reform (CENTER).




Making the rice granary more productive

Guimba is the largest rice producer in Nueva Ecija, the country’s top rice-producing province. The municipality is home to around 12,000 palay farmers cultivating approximately 15,000 hectares of predominantly flat agricultural land. About 95 percent of rice areas are irrigated, enabling Guimba to produce at least 192,000 metric tons of palay annually --- roughly 11 percent of Nueva Ecija’s total rice output.

Despite these favorable conditions, rice farmers in Guimba continue to face persistent challenges. High production costs, increasingly unpredictable weather and climate conditions, and the impact of rice importation policies have all contributed to declining farm incomes.

To help address these issues, PEF and CENTER, with support from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), conducted research and field demonstrations in 2023 on hybrid rice varieties and improved farm practices to increase productivity.

Two years later, the results of these demonstrations --- together with PhilRice’s PalayCheck System models --- were consolidated into a modern palay farming technology module. This module now serves as the foundation for training rice farmers in Guimba, translating research-based practices into practical, field-level learning.

Current training sessions focus on fertilizer management, pest management, crop calendar usage, farm planning, and clustering. MAO staff lead the sessions, visiting barangays alongside local farmer technicians who have adopted and demonstrated the technology's effectiveness.

Building a better future for rice farmers

According to CENTER Chair Catalino Obinario, the Palay Technology Adoption Program is designed to strengthen the resilience and long-term sustainability of rice farming in Guimba. A multi-pronged approach underpins the initiative, with continuous monitoring and evaluation planned over the coming years.

“There will be regular interviews with technology adopters to assess whether recommended protocols are being followed and whether the trainings are producing the desired results,” Obinario said. “We will also organize farmers’ field days to showcase their farms and encourage other farmers to adopt these practices.”

Over the next five years, CENTER, PEF, and the Guimba MAO aim to expand the program’s reach by encouraging wider adoption of improved farming technologies. The partners also plan to strengthen the rice consolidation and processing capacities of local farmer cooperatives and associations, while fostering collaboration with key rice industry stakeholders --- laying the groundwork for a more inclusive and sustainable future for rice farmers in the municipality.

FDA-Flagged Cosmetics with Mercury Content Purchased in Naga City Despite the Ban

Wazzup Pilipinas?! 

(Poseur-buyer offered to serve as reseller)

27 January 2026, Quezon City. Imported skin lightening products flagged by the national government for being sold without market authorization or for containing mercury are being sold in Naga City in blatant violation of the law.

“The brazen trade of contraband cosmetics with mercury content in Naga City and other cities and municipalities is a rampant and ongoing issue, with illicit products openly advertised, promoted, and sold in physical and online stores despite regulatory warnings and product bans,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste. “Prompt and firm intervention by the local authorities will protect residents and ecosystems from mercury pollution.”

In an e-mail sent by the EcoWaste Coalition to former Vice President and now Mayor Leni Robredo on January 21, the group reported to the local chief executive the illicit sale in Naga City of contraband cosmetics, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned to protect the public from being harmed by mercury through the application of contaminated products promising to lighten the skin tone and fight signs of ageing.

A staff member of the EcoWaste Coalition conducted the rapid market monitoring amid inclement weather conditions after participating in the 1st Naga City Basura Summit, which Mayor Robredo and other stakeholders attended.

FDA-flagged skin lightening products were found on the shelves of at least five beauty product stores on J. Hernandez Avenue, including Pakistan-made Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream, Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream, and Thailand-made 88 Total White Underarm Cream.

At one point, the EcoWaste poseur-buyer was asked by a dealer in Naga City if he would like to be a reseller of Goree Beauty Creams!

The FDA banned Goree Beauty Creams through multiple public health warnings issued between 2017 and 2025, and 88 Total White in 2021.

According to the X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) chemical screening conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition on the purchased items, Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene contains 27,950 parts per million (ppm) of mercury, while Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream, Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream, and 88 Total White Underarm Cream contain 27,510 ppm, 26,000 ppm, and 1,725 ppm.

In line with the general welfare provision of the Local Government Code, the group requested that the Naga City Government undertake measures to protect human health and the environment from mercury contamination.

To address this threat to public health and the environment, the Naga City Government was requested to carry out law enforcement activities, including random store inspection and confiscation of banned products and their safe disposal; enact an ordinance (or issue an executive order) banning and penalizing the manufacture, importation, distribution and sale of mercury-containing cosmetics; and to advocate for “Natural Is Beautiful” to discourage use of chemical whiteners and instill appreciation and acceptance of one’s natural skin color.

In their letter to Mayor Robredo, the EcoWaste Coalition emphasized the fact that “mercury is hazardous to human health,” as noted by the World Health Organization (WHO).

As stated by health experts, mercury in skin lightening cosmetics is released during product use, with dermal absorption and inhalation as common exposure routes. It can cause skin discoloration, rashes, and scarring, and it can reduce skin resistance to bacterial and fungal infections.

Repeated applications can harm the kidneys, the brain, and the central nervous system. The use of mercury-containing skin lightening products by pregnant women is of utmost concern as mercury is known to cross the placenta during pregnancy and accumulate in fetal tissues, affecting the developing brain and nervous system of the baby in the womb and causing neuro-developmental disorders.

The EcoWaste Coalition will sustain its market monitoring and other efforts to alert regulators and consumers about the presence of forbidden products with mercury in retail stores and in e-commerce and social media platforms --- to uphold the human right to a healthy and toxics-free environment.