38th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Winners List

Here are the winners of the recently held 38th MMFF or Metro Manila Film Festival Awards Night on Thursday (December 28).

Gatpuno Villegas Cultural Award – Thy Womb
FPJ Memorial Award of Excellence – One More Try
Most Gender-Sensitive Film Award – Thy Womb
Youth Choice Award – El Presidente

Best Picture – One More Try
2nd Best Picture – El Presidente
3rd Best Picture – Sisterakas

Best Actress – Nora Aunor, Thy Womb
Best Supporting Actress – Wilma Doesnt, Sisterakas
Best Actor – Dingdong Dantes, One More Try
Best Supporting Actor – Cesar Montano, El Presidente
Best Child Actor – Miguel Vergara, One More Try

Best Director – Brillante Mendoza, Thy Womb
Best Original Story – Henry Burgos, Thy Womb
Best Screenplay – One More Try

Best Editing – Vito Kahili, One More Try
Best Cinematography – Thy Womb
Best Production Design – Thy Womb
Best Visual Effects – Shake Rattle and Roll 14: The Invasion
Best Make-up – El Presidente
Best Theme Song – Apl De Ap and Jamir Garcia of Slapshock, El Presidente
Best Musical Score – Jessie Lasaten, El Presidente
Best Sound Engineer – Albert Idioma, El Presidente

Best Float – El Presidente

Male Star of the Night – Joseph Estrada
Female Star of the Night – Nora Aunor
Male Celebrity of the Night – Zanjoe Marudo
Female Celebrity of the Night – Bianca King

New Wave Films Category:
Best Full-length Feature – The Grave Bandits
Most Gender-Sensitive Film Award – In Nomine Matris
Best Director – Tyron Acierto, The Grave Bandits
Best Actress – Liza Diño, In Nomine Matris
Best Actor – Allan Paule, Gayak
Special Jury Prize – Quantum Films

Student Short Films Category:
Best Short Film – Pukpok, DLSU
Most Gender Sensitive Film Award – Manibela, FEU
Special Jury Prize – Daniel Bautista, USC

Sinotto, Gangnam, Amalayer among Top 10 News Buzzwords of 2012

GMA News Online released its list of top 10 newsmakers or buzzwords this 2012. These words or terms, some of which came from Filipino manipulation of word structures, are deemed the biggest and most popular catchy words in 2012.

Leading the list is "Sinotto", derived from the name of Senator Sotto, which is used to address something as plagiarized or copied without retribution.

The top 10 buzzwords of 2012 are as follows:

1. Sinotto – something copied without consent of original author, especially during the online buzz surrounding Senator Sotto's alleged plagiarism issues
2. Habagat – cause of the inundation that ravaged Metro Manila and most parts of the country this year
3. Gangnam – refers to the first word of Korean pop star PSY's song Gangnam Style
4. Amalayer – term that questions someone's (especially the asker's) honesty
5. Palusot – word that hounded during the impeachment proceedings of the precedent Chief Justice
6. Wha! – denotes surprise or shock
7. Epal – now a politically inclined word, this refers to politicians who grab the opportunity to impress for the upcoming elections
8. Friend zone – area between friendship and one-sided love; platonic love on offer
9. Noynoying – refers to the act of chilling; used for attacking political inaction
10. Magpaka-Robredo – defines the late DILG's exemplary public service

Top 10 Philippine TV Shows 2012

ABS-CBN, the Kapamilya station, has fully monopolized the Philippine TV market ratings with all the top 10 slots dominated by its programs. The top 10 TV shows in the Philippines for 2012 were all created by ABS-CBN. No other competitor successfully fielded its TV show in the top 10 highest rated shows in 2012.

Kiddie-oriented morally grounded TV program Wansapanataym led the lisst of top 10 TV shows in 2012.

According to multinational market research group Kantar Media, the top 10 TV programs in 2012 are the following:

1. Wansapanataym (ABS-CBN)
2. Princess and I (ABS-CBN)
3. Ina, Kapatid, Anak (ABS-CBN)
4. TV Patrol (ABS-CBN)
5. Maalaala Mo Kaya (ABS-CBN)
6. Aryana (ABS-CBN)
7. Kapamilya Deal or No Deal (ABS-CBN)
8. Be Careful With My Heart (ABS-CBN)
9. Goin' Bulilit (ABS-CBN)
10. Rated K (ABS-CBN)

Kantar Media makes use of a nationwide panel size of 2,609 urban and rural homes, a size larger than AGB Nielsen's 1,980 homes that are only based in urban areas, which grants Kantar Media a higher coverage than the latter.

Cheapest iPad Mini (Lowest Price) in the Philippines

The iPad Mini is one of the sought-after gadgets for giveaway or gift-giving this Christmas - the full iPad experience in a smaller device. 

In Apple's overview of the iPad Mini:

Everything you love about iPad — the beautiful screen, fast and fluid performance, FaceTime and iSight cameras, thousands of amazing apps, 10-hour battery life* — is everything you’ll love about iPad mini, too. And you can hold it in one hand.

Apple's iPad Mini is already available in the Philippines, through Apple Philippines. Its prices are considered one of the cheapest, lowest in the market. Apple Philippines boasts of the cheapest iPad Mini tablets in the country.

The prices of the iPad Mini, similarly with that of its predecessor iPad versions, are influenced by the memory it possesses.

Here are the lowest prices of iPad Mini in the Philippine market:

• iPad Mini (16 GB, WiFi only) – 15,990 PHP
• iPad Mini (32 GB, WiFi only) – 20,990 PHP
• iPad Mini (64 GB, WiFi only) – 25,990 PHP
• iPad Mini (16GB, WiFi + Cellular) – 21,990 PHP
• iPad Mini (32GB, WiFi + Cellular) – 26,990 PHP
• iPad Mini (64GB, WiFi + Cellular) – 31,990 PHP

The difference of 6,000 Php comes from added convenience in roaming connection through fast mobile data networks (cellular). Shipment of the iPad Mini could take up to two (2) weeks; not bad at all. A limit of only two iPad Minis per customer is currently imposed to give everyone the opportunity to grab an iPad Mini before the year ends.

PNoy Administration: List of Cabinet Secretaries 2012

Here is an updated list of Philippine Cabinet Secretaries and the Departments they respectively head under the leadership of President Benigno "PNoy" Aquino Jr. Credits to Next Ping for compiling this list and granting permission to share it.

PCSO Lotto Draw Results (December 23, 2012)

Here are the PCSO Lotto Draw results for December 23, 2012:

Super Lotto 6/49

44-01-17-25-15-46Jackpot Prize: P42,815,808.00
Winner: 0

7 PH cities qualify in New7Wonders Cities of the World search

Seven (7) cities of the Philippines were included in a list of over 300 qualified cities for the second phase of the New7Wonders Cities. The PH entry cities to the New7Wonders Cities, which include Vigan, Cebu City, Paranaque City, Bacolod City, Cagayan de Oro City, Davao City and Iloilo City, currently occupy the top 7 spots in the South East Asia and Oceania category.

Click on the image to vote for the New7Wonders Cities

The 7 Philippine cities may then again be supported by voting them in the third phase which will come up with a shortlist of 28 Official Finalist Candidates chosen by the New7Wonders Cities Panel of Experts, out of the top 77 voted during the qualification phase. 

The shortlist will be revealed from March 7 to 21, 2013. Voting for the New7Wonders Cities of the World Finalists continues across three qualifying phases. Through the first qualifying phase, the 28 finalists will be reduced to 21. Next (2nd phase), the 21 finalist cities will be trimmed down to 14. 

On the last phase, the Official New7Wonders Cities will be unveiled and the newly acclaimed New7Wonder Cities will be announced on July 7, 2014.

Support the PH cities in vying for the New7Wonders Cities list by visiting N7W website, clicking on the South East Asia and Oceania tab, selecting up to 7 entry cities, and submitting these entries by entering an email address on the space provided. A captcha code will have to be entered for verification. Each email address is only entitled to voting 7 entries once.

BDO branches open on December 24

The Banko de Oro (BDO) has revealed that select BDO branches nationwide will remain open on December 24 until 1 PM to allow customers withdraw and do their last-minute Christmas shopping for this year. Moreover, BDO mall branches will be open until 3 PM.

BDO is an affiliated bank of the SM mall chains; it  has brought in convenience to clients seeking proximity to addressing material needs of all kinds.

The list of BDO branches open on December 24, 2012 is as follows:

Click the image to zoom in and view the BDO branches.

PSY's Manila concert moved to February 2013

The concert of Korean pop superstar Psy, the one behind youtube hit Gangnam Style, in Manila on December 20 (Thursday) has been postponed, as confirmed by the camps of Joed Serrano (That's Entertainment) and Renen de Guia (Ovation Productions).

According to an official press release, “the organizers of the ‘Gangnam Style’ event on December 20, 2012 at MOA Arena have collectively agreed to postpone the event to February 20, 2013 due to logistical issues."

Psy still looks forward to perform for his Filipino fans in his February 2013 "Gangnam Show" which was supposed to feature Filipino celebrities including Anne Curtis, Vhong Navarro, Ai-Ai delas Alas, Jose and Wally, Pokwang, Pooh, Ate Gay, Chocoleit and K Brosas.

Alien skulls in Mexico?

Researchers have found 33 alien-like skulls in a site called El Cementerio, a thousand-year-old cemetery, in the small Mexican village of Onabas. So, are they actually aliens?

These deformed skulls' elongated appearance is believed to have been head bones of those of children who underwent a process called artificial cranial deformation (head binding), particularly done widespread on infants in Central America.

This deformation is a form of body alteration in which the skull of a human being is intentionally deformed, in this case, changing the natural growth of heads influenced by the pressure-causing binding which led to elongated, pointy heads (resembling weird alien-like head facets) and consequential death of the children.

Results of the DLSU College Entrance Test for AY 2013-2014

Aspiring to enter the De La Salle University by undergoing an entrance exam for admission to DLSU? The results of the DLSUCAT or the De La Salle University College Admission Test will be released on January 2013.

The DLSUCAT was taken up last October 7, 14, and 21 at the DLSU Taft Campus, while it was administered nationwide last September. Found below are pertinent information of offices that may be needed for admission to DLSU.

Office of Admissions and Scholarships (OAS) Br. Andrew Gonzalez Hall, 

De La Salle University
2401 Taft Avenue
1004 Manila, Philippines
Tel. Nos.: (632) 523-4230 (Direct) or
(632) 524-4611 locals 166
Office Hours:
Mondays to Fridays: 8:00 am - 12 noon; 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Saturdays: 8:00 am - 12 noon only
E-mail: admissions@dlsu.edu.ph

De La Salle University – Makati Extension Campus
5th Floor, Tower 2, RCBC Plaza
6819 Ayala Avenue
1200 Makati City, Philippines
Tel. Nos.: (632) 753-4611 locals 111 and 112
Office Hours:
Mondays to Fridays: 12:30 noon – 9:00 pm
Saturdays : 8:00 am – 3:00 pm only

De La Salle University – Science and Technology Campus
Laguna Boulevard, LTI Spine Road
Brgys. Biñan and Malamig
Biñan, 4024 Laguna, Philippines
Tel. Nos.: (632) 6664465 / 6664552 (Trunkline)
(6349) 5768856 (Laguna Line) Ext. 101 (Admissions)
Ext. 108 (Academic Services)
(63) 9167535635 (cellphone no.)

The list of passers of the DLSU-CET  (College Entrance Test) will be posted as soon as the official list is released by the DLSU website. Meanwhile, keep updated by liking us on Facebook or joining the email address list.