Day Trip: 7 Lakes of San Pablo City

by Randy R.I. Espinoza

I have long been raring to see these lakes, prompted by a declaration of them as "the most threatened in the world" years ago by a foreign organization. After having had the time to finally explore San Pablo’s natural bounty last summer, what’s my verdict? Was the declaration warranted or a little exaggerated?

Muhikap Lake

Gapan: Nueva Ecija’s “Heritage City”

(Part 2 of a series on Gapan City)

by Randy R.I. Espinoza

Gapan's Old Casa Municipal (Municipal House), the pink building to the right

Unknown to many, Gapan City, established in 1595, is the oldest town in Nueva Ecija and one of the oldest in the Philippines. Cabanatuan City may be the provinces’s most progressive city and the town of San Isidro was declared the country’s interim capital in 1899 by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo during the Philippine-American War, but Gapan remains the province’s crown jewel, a veritable heritage town that rivals others in the entire Central Luzon in terms of historical and cultural significance.

Gapan’s Heritage Houses: Nueva Ecija’s Hidden Jewels

(Part 1 of a series on Gapan City)

by Randy R.I. Espinoza

Gapan City is home to the oldest and biggest church in Nueva Ecija, but most people, even Novo Ecijanos themselves, are not aware that the city has some more hidden cultural jewels: its colonial-period houses. Nueva Ecija has never been regarded as a cultural center of Central Luzon. Gapan is overshadowed by the bigger cities Cabanatuan and San Jose and the capital city, Palayan; and the local government itself prefers to market the city as the “Footwear Capital of the North.” These factors contribute to a virtual ignorance of Gapan’s rich cultural heritage.

"Crazy Beautiful You,” a Photoshopped Romantic-Comedy Pic

by Randy R.I. Espinoza

My apologies to those who loved the movie, but I didn’t find much “real” value in one of the year’s most successful screen offerings that stars two of the top teen stars of local Tinseltown, Kathleen Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, otherwise known as KathNiel. Perhaps because I’m biased toward indie cinema’s in-your-face grittiness and social realism. Or is it because I’m more tolerant of the likes of KimXian & JaDine?

Okay, the main stars are probably show biz’s most popular love team, touted as the young generation's Guy and Pip (but then there’s also James Reid and Nadine Lustre, that other popular tandem who may be considered today's Vilma and Edgar, who are out to challenge the former couple's supremacy :-) ). The flick was produced by Star Cinema, the biggest movie outfit in the country. These very factors could have contributed much to the artificiality of the entire production. What do you expect? Drizzles of cheesiness all over, of course. ‘Cause that’s what sells. And that's what the fans want. So never mind the picture-perfect Pinatubo and the fascinating katutubong Aetas. They just serve as the backdrop and the decorative extras to add color and flavor and boost the production design. No real discursive analysis of family conflict and relationships but more forgive-and-forget, kiss-and-make-up, young-love/sweet-love, love-conquers-all, all's-well-that-ends-well sentiments that gloss over the serious issues.

Cinemalaya 2014: The Frontrunners

By Randy RI Espinoza

DIRECTORS’ SHOWCASE

Contenders

Rediscovering Minalungao National Park, Nueva Ecija’s ‘Hidden’ Wonder (A Guide)

By Randy Renier I. Espinoza

Where are the views captured in the photo below located?

Answer: Nueva Ecija. One would not have guessed. After all, the province is not really considered a tourist destination.

2013: Banner Year for Philippine Cinema (Prospects for the Future)

By Randy Renier I. Espinoza

The naysayers are mistaken. Philippine Cinema is not dead. And 2013 was shining proof that it is alive and flourishing. Even pop culture commentator Jessica Zafra was quick to say in September that 2013 heralded another golden age of Filipino movies and could well be the best year the industry has ever had. We’re not talking about box-office revenue, though. We’re talking about the breadth of the year’s harvest of quality films, most of which were independently produced.

Three Filipino features made it to Cannes, arguably the world’s most prestigious festival:  Lav Diaz’s Norte, The End of History and Adolfo Alix’s Death March in the Un Certain Regard section; Erik Matti’s On the Job in the Directors’ Fortnight section. Four films made the cut at the Toronto International Film Festival, currently the world’s most “important” film market:  Diaz’s Norte, Jeffrey Jeturian’s The Bit Player, Brillante Mendoza’s Sapi, and Raya Martin’s La Ultima Pelicula (in collaboration with Mark Peranson). Not to mention many others which were exhibited in major and minor international film festivals and continue to make the rounds in the film fest circuit.

2013’s Best Films and Performances

By Randy Renier I. Espinoza


2013 was an auspicious year for Philippine Cinema. Aside from the success of Filipino films in festivals overseas, two new local film festivals (CineFilipino and Sineng Pambansa) managed  to supplement the steady supply of quality features churned out yearly by Cinemalaya, now considered the country’s premier festival. The year’s harvest includes a number of noteworthy productions and performances that deserve accolades in the coming awards season.

REVIEW: ‘Ang Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita’

By Randy Renier I. Espinoza

The big sleeper at the recently concluded CineFilipino Film Festival 2013, Ang Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita tied with Ang Kwento Ni Mabuti for the festival’s coveted Best Picture prize. Its lead performer, newcomer child actress Teri Malvar, caused an upsent when she was proclaimed Best Actress, besting multi-awarded actress Nora Aunor, who was predicted to win the plum. A worthy answer to Auraeus Solito’s now-classic Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, Huling Cha-Cha is a coming-of-age film by newbie filmmaker Sigfrid Andrea Bernardo about a young girl, Anita, who realizes her sexual identity when she starts falling in love with the new woman in the village.

Set in Obando, the film offers a subtext, conflicts larger than Anita’s own internal struggles, an underlying story from which Anita’s own saga is born and developed. Obando is known for its yearly fiesta that culminates in a mass fertility dance where townsfolk and devotees of Santa Clara partake of the festivities. Santa Clara, the town’s patron saint, is believed to be miraculous and grants the wishes of childless couples who, wanting to have children, join the dancing.

The narrative offers two parallel but somehow distinct worlds: the carefree world of children and that inhabited by adults who manage their domestic affairs and take part in community activities.

REVIEW: 'Ang Kwento ni Mabuti'

By Randy Renier I. Espinoza

Morality gets thematic focus in Ang Kwento ni Mabuti, the latest full-length feature by maverick filmmaker Mes De Guzman, who is also a recipient of multiple awards from the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. Shot entirely in Nueva Vizcaya, with dialogues rendered in the Ilocano language, the film is lifted by the noteworthy performance of Nora Aunor, dubbed the country’s "Superstar," as Mabuti de la Cruz, who faces a dilemma when she comes across a bag containing peso bills worth 5 million. Written and photographed by the director himself, Mabuti tied with Ang Huling Cha-cha ni Anita for the Best Film plum and won for De Guzman the Best Director and Best Screenplay awards at the recently held CineFilipino Film Festival 2013.

The story follows the pastoral life of Mabuti, a faith healer in a highland village who is known for her benevolence She practices traditional medicine without accepting payment for her services, and she takes care of the sustenance of the household, which comprises her mother and four granddaughters. Her son and daughter have left their children in her custody to seek livelihood elsewhere and do not give financial support for the kids. Complications come to the self-complacent and easygoing Mabuti when she learns, apart from her daughter being pregnant for the fourth time by a fourth lover, that the parcel of land on which their house and hillside farm are nestled will be sequestered if they can’t pay their overdue taxes.