Malacanang assures that government will continue
working despite the onset of the election season
Despite the onset of the election season,
Malacañang assured on Sunday that the government will not be distracted from
its mandate to serve the people and will continue with its job of governing and
providing for the needs of the Filipino citizenry.
The assurance was given by Deputy Presidential
Spokesperson Abigail Valte who spoke over the government-run radio station dzRB
Radyo ng Bayan on the eve of the filing of Certificates of Candidacy that
signals the nearing of the election season next year.
“Well, ‘yung sa amin naman po, on the part of
the President and of the administration, the work will continue. Whether it’s
election season or not, the work will continue,” Valte said.
She said that all candidates will be given the
leeway to “to conduct their campaigns in the way that they see fit. But, at
least, on the part of the administration, the work still continues.” PND (rck)
President Aquino attends premiere showing of
newly-restored 1950 film 'Genghis Khan' by Manuel Conde
President Benigno S. Aquino III attended
Saturday evening the formal repatriation and the premiere showing of the newly
restored internationally acclaimed Filipino film "Genghis Khan" by
Manuel Conde.
The Film Development Council of the Philippines
(FDCP), the National Film Archive of the Philippines (NFAP), together with the
La Biennale di Venezia led the restoration and repatriation of the movie to the
Philippines. The Venice Film Festival is part of La Biennale di Venezia.
The prints of Genghis Khan, filmed in 1950, were
turned over to the National Film Archive of the Philippines (NFAP) for the
preservation. NFAP, which is under the auspices of FDCP, has been established
to collect and conserve audiovisual materials as part of the country’s
historical and cultural heritage.
After the formal turn over ceremony, the FDCP,
together with its partners held the premiere screening of the newly-restored
movie at the SM Mall of Asia’s Cinema One along Roxas Boulevard.
The restoration of Genghis Khan was conducted at
the L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy, a world-class laboratory recognized
as one of the best in the field of film retrieval. Among the famous Hollywood
personalities and entities that worked with L’Immagine Ritrovata include
director and film archiving stalwart Martin Scorsese and the Film Foundation.
Genghis Khan, which was shown in Philippine
theaters 60 years ago, had long been considered lost until a copy surfaced
recently in the Venice film vaults. After the restoration, the movie was screened
during the Archivio Storico delle Arti Contemporanee (ASAC) retrospective of 10
rare restored films in the recent Venice Film Festival.
With the repatriation of Genghis Khan, FDCP
chairman Briccio Santos said it could send a strong signal to the international
archivists to turn-over Filipino films that remain in their collection.
Aside from FDCP chairman Santos, among those
present during the event were Venice Film Festival retrospective curator
Stefano Francia di Celle, L’Immagine Ritrovata director Davide Pozzi, NFAP head
Benedict Salazar Olgado and the Urbano/Conde family representative Jun Urbano.
Also present were National Artist for Films
Eddie Romero and National Artist for Visual Arts Abdulmari Imao.
The low-budget movie was filmed in the mountains
of Angono, Rizal. It was about the adventures of the Mongolian leader Genghis
Khan prior to his assumption to the throne.
Among those who also worked with Conde in making
the film was the Angono painter Carlos “Botong” Francisco, as production designer,
who eventually became a National Artist for visual arts in the Philippines.
Manuel Urbano, who used the screen name Manuel
Conde, was born in Daet, Camarines Norte on October 15, 1915. During his stint
as a producer, actor and director, he made classic films such as the Juan Tamad
series (1947), Vende Cristo (1948), Prinsipe Paris (1949), Krus na Kawayan
(1956), Siete Infantes de Lara (1950), Molave (1961) and Genghis Khan (1950).
PND (as)
