HERE’S a clip of the Philippine proclamation of independence on July 4, 1946, courtesy of the UniversalNewsreels YouTube channel.

By Ruben V. Nepales
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–Lav Diaz’s nine-hour “Kagadanan sa Banwaan ning mga Engkanto (Death in the Land of Encantos)” won the Golden Lion Special Mention award in the Horizons (Orizzonti) Documentary section of the Venice Film Festival on Saturday.

The top prize went to “Wuyong (Useless)” by China’s Jia Zhangke.

Diaz and Zhangke won against such name directors as Jonathan Demme and Julian Schnabel. Last year, renowned director Spike Lee won the award in this category for “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.”

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By Desiree Caluza
Northern Luzon Bureau

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines–The Baguio Centennial Commission will put up a museum at one of the heritage sites here to celebrate the city’s 100th charter anniversary in 2009.

The Diplomat Hotel was chosen as the location for the museum that will keep photographs and documents charting the growth of the city, said Michael Pearson, member of the centennial committee.

He said they chose the abandoned hotel at Dominican Hill here because it offers a panoramic view of the city and is surrounded by trees.

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By Fernan Gianan
Inquirer

VIRAC, Catanduanes–The capital town of the storm-tossed island-province of Catanduanes is home to a young inventor who holds the patent for a cost-saving construction material that is now being used by local contractors and home builders.

Boxes of the prefabricated galvanized iron tie wire invented by 22-year-old Dexter Teope are being sold in hardware stores at P85 per kilo, saving construction companies or house owners more than 20 percent in labor costs.

In fact, the Japanese contractor of the multimillion-peso Gogon bridge project has indicated interest in purchasing the prefab tie wires.

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By Tonette Orejas
Inquirer

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO–Kapampangans filled the San Agustin Church and its nearby museum in Intramuros, Manila, on the night of Aug. 24 to pay tribute to Augustinian missionaries who had sailed from there to Pampanga 435 years ago and influenced the natives’ character, culture and history.

As they stood on the same grounds where some of those 100 friars lived and trained, they bridged the time, seeing past and present connections between Fray Juan Gallegos, who set foot in Lubao in 1572, and far, far, far down time when Fr. Eddie Panlilio, who finished theology at the St. Augustine Major Seminary, was elected governor in 2007.

“Holy ground,” was how Dr. Arlyn Villanueva, president of the Holy Angel University, called the event’s venue.

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By Constantino Tejero
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–It’s the first of its kind: A diario novela; an unheard of convergence between the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the king of “komiks” himself, Carlo J. Caparas.

“To Have and to Hold” starts September 3 and every day thereafter except Sundays. Its first strip is a grabber, with frames illustrated like a movie’s storyboard. As can be gleaned from its title, it is a love story. From the first few panels the reader can discern a Romeo-and-Juliet situation between lovers Arvin and Jennifer.

Caparas says he is aware that his entering the Inquirer is seeking new readers, that is, aside from his mass-based built-in readership he has to reach new ones in the corporate world, the bureaucrats’ offices, the academe, even the politicians’ lairs.

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By Vicente Labro
Inquirer

TOLOSA, Leyte–Elpedio Lagutan works in his small farm in Tolosa town in Leyte to support his family. But since early this year, he has been preoccupied with his new role as board chair of an organization that runs a coconut vinegar processing plant.

Lagutan, 59, is actively involved in making natural vinegar — gathering coconut sap, fermenting, pasteurizing, bottling and packaging it — and marketing the product for extra income.

“This project is a big help to us marginalized farmers and our families, because it provides us additional income and we can now buy some important things we need in our homes,” he said.

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