Monday, July 30, 2007 Costanilla: Komiks revival By Sam Costanilla spotlight
THIS writer was in historic Intramuros in Manila last Thursday to honor an invitation from the country’s komiks king and topnotch film director Carlo J. Caparas and his Cebuano wife Donna Villa. I was the only Cebuano mediaman to be given the privilege to cover the relaunching of the Caparas komiks series with no less than Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as guest of honor. In his speech, Caparas credited her as the only President who is giving the komiks industry all the support that it badly needs. The President, however, did not speak. She only had to unveil the canvass of the komiks series.
IT was during the program that I learned about Pres. Arroyo’s conferment of the Presidential Medal of Merit to Caparas and four other komiks novelists like Mars Ravelo, Francisco Koching, Tony Velasquez and Larry Alcala last February 28 in simple ceremonies at Malacanang. “Naming lima, ako na lang ang buhay,” Caparas told the crowd. He added that movie directing is taking the backseat in the meantime and that he will be writing more komiks novels from now on.
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TOMORROW, Tuesday, is the deadline for the submission of entries to the 2008 Cebu Popular Music Festival. Through this corner, may I remind interested composers to pass their entries now to the President’s Office of the University of the Visayas. The screening of all submitted entries will be on August 12.
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EFFORTS to revive the Cebuano/Visayan movie industry should be pursued seriously. We need people whose concern in this respect is beyond question. Investors should be enticed to get involved - but there should be an assurance that their participation won’t be in vain. Will interested investors please show up now?
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WE should felicitate two dancers from Cebu for grabbing the gold after being declared 1st prize winners in the Grade E Latin-American Discipline mid-year ranking and competition held last July 14 at the Philsports Complex in Pasig city. The event was organized by the Dance Sport Council of the Philippines, Inc. Lenibelle Padillo and Bjorn Torreon deserve a big round of applause from all of us for a job well done. Cheers to you, guys!
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THIS self-proclaimed radio commentator is gradually losing his friends and colleagues who find his pronouncements and actuations revolting to the senses. He also makes it a point to brag about his being a sharpshooter and a womanizer in media gatherings. The radioman must be thinking that blowing his own horn is a nice deed.
