• Pasay

    From Opening Flair To Uncertain Future: The Saga of Folk Arts Theater

      It is interesting to write about the Folk Arts Theater at this time in the midst of the preparations for the country’s 3rd stint to host the Miss Universe pageant that will happen on January 2017. That is because the Folk Arts Theater itself came into being because of the Miss Universe pageant, when the Philippines hosted it for the first time in 1974. Reportedly, then First Lady Imelda Marcos pushed hard for the country to host the pageant, especially after the country’s Miss Universe candidate, Margarita Moran, won the title in 1973, becoming the second Filipina Miss Universe after Gloria Diaz. With the hosting secured, Mrs. Marcos had the idea of holding…

  • Checked Out

    CinemalayaX at the CCP

    It is that time of the year once again when the moribund Philippine cinema manages to come alive for a while. No, I’m not talking about the Metro Manila Film Festival, when the opposite usually happens…but I digress. It is the season of Cinemalaya, the Philippine independent film festival which is now marking its 10th year. For those who are not familiar with this event, Cinemalaya is an annual film festival organized by the Cinemalaya Foundation (headed by Tony Boy Cojuangco)  with the support of the Cultural Center of the Philippines that is meant to showcase contemporary, independent Philippine cinema, as well as to give opportunities for new filmmakers and…