Provence France 1872 unfolds before our very eyes on the 1st of October 2008 at the University of Makati Grand Theatre. An inspiring musical opus, presented by AGHAM Theatre Company, the same group that brought you the highly successful original Filipino pop-rock opera “Sakdal” and the mythological fantasy “Alamat”, is once again in the works [...]

The report provides powerful scientific evidence and guidance to governments around the world on how the tobacco industry uses and manipulates the media to encourage tobacco use and effective steps governments can take to protect the health of their citizens.

“Shorts,” a short film about a young copywriter/production designer who seems to have gone crazy, will compete in the 12th Thai Short Film and Video Festival, which will run from August 29 to September 14 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Pathumwan Junction.
Seymour Barros Sanchez’s “mockumentary” will vie for the award in the festival’s [...]

Health advocates led by the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
Alliance Philippines (FCAP) hailed as victory for the health sector
the pull-out of a tobacco company from the much-awaited Eraserheads
reunion concert this weekend.
Amidst this, FCAP lauded the Department of Health for standing firm in
its position against the involvement of Philip Morris Phils.
Manufacturing Inc. (PMPMI) in the concert.
[...]

In a letter to the Department of Trade and Industry and some lawmakers, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP), an anti-tobacco group, urges an “immediate investigation” and for the Inter-Agency Committee-Tobacco to “take the necessary action to ensure faithful observance and implementation of the provisions of RA 9211 on tobacco sponsorship and advertising.”

August 7, 2008

Undersecretary Zenaida Cuison Maglaya
Department of Trade and Industry
Inter-Agency Committee-Tobacco
Makati City
Dear Madame,
Re: An Urgent Call for the IAC-T to Take Appropriate Legal and Enforcement Action regarding Philip Morris’ Sponsorship of the Eraserheads Reunion Concert Set on August 30, 2008, in violation of Sec. 26, RA [...]

“Once again, Philip Morris International has been caught engaging in cigarette marketing that appeals to children in a developing country and that would not be tolerated in the United States and other wealthier nations,” says Matthew L. Myers, president of the US-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Richard Legaspi’s “Ambulancia” and Seymour Barros Sanchez’s “Shorts” were selected for screening in the Bite the Mango Film Festival which will run from September 19 to 25 at the National Media Museum in Bradford, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
As part of the official selection, both short films are eligible for the Golden Mango Award which [...]

“Ambulancia,” a short film written, directed, and produced by Richard Legaspi, will compete and have its German premiere at the 32nd Open-Air Film Festival Weiterstadt, which will take place from August 14 to 18 on the arcadian site of the Braunshardter Taennchen.

Biglang naglaho ang tuwa ko nang malaman ko kinabukasan rin mismo na ang nasa likod pala ng konsyerto ay isang kumpanya ng sigarilyo. Kung gaano ako kasaya noong gabing nakaraan, ganun din ako kalungkot nang malaman ko kung sino ang sponsor. Ganun na lamang ang aking panlulumo nang malaman kong kakailanganin ko palang tangkilikin ang paninigarilyo para mapanood kong muli ang paborito kong banda of all time.

(The report below is from The International Tobacco-Control Network and was prepared by Ronald M. Davis, M.D. in 1998. Dr. David was the director of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention of the Henry Ford Health System in the United States.)
CONTENTS
1. Background and author’s qualifications
2. How tobacco [...]

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, an international anti-smoking group, has likewise praised singer Alicia Keys for forcing ****** to withdrawal as sponsor of her concert in Indonesia.

Butil ng Buhay
Airing on May 26, 2008, GMA 7
Monday night after Saksi
At a time of national rice crisis, the town of Lucban shows off its rice abundance as it stages its grand annual festival, the Pahiyas. Nothing will stop their tradition of turning palay into exquisite outdoor decor. But will a storm punish Lucbanins for [...]

The New York Times called it a “rambunctious, noisy film.” One critic thought it was “a shabby piece of video verite from the Philippines” and wondered why it “inexplicably” competed in Cannes. The critic of cinematical.com headlined her review “Live from Cannes: Gratuitous Yuckiness…”and goes on to narrate why, for the first time, she walked out of a screening at a festival. And, according to the critic, it was not just because of the sight of a boil being popped using a Coke bottle — no pun intended — but also because of the gratuitous and exploitative sex scenes in the movie. Yet another critic called it the worst film in competition in Cannes in recent memory.