Thursday, April 30, 2015

Lost in Ritual: Lent in Marinduque


Some scenes from my Teatro Balangaw passion play Ang Kristo: Pasyondula were part of Living Asia Channel's (LAC) feature, Celebration: Lost in Ritual - Marinduque published in 2013. Watch some of these scenes from 11:04 - 11:31 on this LAC video. 

Lost in Space

Lost in Space: Battle to Save Cargo Supply Spacecraft

What was supposed to be a six-hour journey to the International Space Station to deliver supplies has turned into a high stakes space drama. 

One day after the Progress spacecraft was launched on the back of a Soyuz rocket bound for the International Space Station, the cargo vessel remains in an uncontrolled spin orbiting Earth after several navigational antennas on the spacecraft failed to deploy and problems were reported with the propulsion system, according to NASA. 


The Russian Soyuz 2-1A rocket lofted the latest Progress resupply vehicle for what was supposed to be a fast rendezvous trip to the International Space Station (ISS). The Progress – riding on a Soyuz 2-1A for the first time was launched on Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. However, numerous problems have resulted in what is now a lost vehicle, as it was seen spinning wildly on orbit. 
This photo courtesy of Marinduque history blogger, Curt Shepard

On board the Progress is 6,000 pounds of food, fuel and supplies for the six astronauts at the International Space Station. 

The spacecraft has made several passes over Russian ground control stations, however officials on the ground reported attempts to issue commands to Progress and troubleshoot its issues have continued to be unsuccessful. 

NASA's supply chain to the space station has been a problem since the space shuttle quit flying, and has been a patchwork of SpaceX, ESA ATV, Japanese HTV and Orbital Cygnus that has been bolstered by the annual four shipments a year on the Progress cargo ship. 

If they lose the cargo on this trip, the next supply run to space will be in June when SpaceX's Dragon, which is currently berthed at the International Space Station, makes another supply run to space. ABC News

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Indonesia's Sinabung Volcano blasts, news blackout on mainstream?


Indonesia

New youtube video dated April 28, 2015 about dense ash emission and pyroclastic flows at Mount Sinabung.in Indonesia that occured the day before.

Mount Sinabung, Indonesia


Chile

Over in Chile, people living in the vicinity of the Calbuco volcano in Chile are trying to save their homes and their livestock after tonnes of ash rained down following two volcanic eruptions. 

The roofs of a number of homes and businesses collapsed under the weight of the ash and residents feared for their sheep and cows.


Soldiers have been deployed to help with the clean-up. The authorities have warned of the possibility of further eruptions.

Volcano Eruption In Calbuco, Chile
Calbuco Volcano, Chile. Source

'Grey desert'

They also said that should it rain, the ash could mix with debris to create dangerous mudflows. 

The Calbuco volcano in southern Chile erupted twice last week, forcing the evacuation of more than 6,000 people. 

Chilean authorities said on Saturday that the volcano had spewed out an estimated 210 million cubic metres (7,420 million cubic feet) of ash.

Sakurajima Volcano. Screen cap from dutchsinse's video


 Japan

A week ago, this breathtaking sunrise eruption of southern Japan's Sakurajima Volcano.

Any Filipino in vessel seized by Iran?

Maersk says crew of vessel seized by Iran are safe


COPENHAGEN, April 29 (Reuters) - Danish shipping company Maersk said on Wednesday the crew of the Maersk Tigris container ship were safe and "in good spirits" after Iranian authorities seized the ship in the Strait of Hormuz the previous day.

Maersk, the world's largest container shipping concern, said it was in dialogue with the Danish Foreign Ministry and seeking more information as it still did not know the reason for the seizure of the vessel.

Maersk Tigris

Iranian patrol boats intercepted the cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz and fired warning shots, raising tensions in one of the world's busiest oil shipping lanes and spurring the United States to send military vessels to monitor the situation.

Maersk said the vessel was diverted in international waters. Iranian authorities quoted by official media said the Maersk Tigris was seized in Iranian territorial waters.

Iranian media cited an official as saying the seizure followed a court order ruling on a complaint about debts made by a private Iranian company.

"We are in ongoing contact with Rickmers Shipmanagement and are pleased to learn that the crew (are) safe and under the circumstances in good spirits," Maersk said in a statement.

"We are continuing our efforts to obtain more information about the Iranian authorities' seizure - in international waters - of Maersk Tigris. We are not able at this point to establish or confirm the reason behind the seizure."

The 65,000-tonne Maersk Tigris, flagged in the Marshall Islands, is managed and crewed by Rickmers Shipmanagement but on hire to Maersk Line, the shipping unit of Maersk. 

Rickmers said there were 24 crew, mostly from eastern Europe and Asia.

The Danish Foreign Ministry said it was monitoring the situation closely and was in contact with Maersk.

The standoff came at a critical juncture in U.S.-Iranian relations, which could thaw should a tentative nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers including Washington be clinched. It also coincides with heightened tension between regional arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia over the escalating civil war in Yemen in which they support opposing sides. (Reporting by Sabina Zawadzki; Editing by Mark Heinrich) DailyMail

The guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut is shown in this undated photo operating in heavy seas in the Atlantic Ocean.(File Photo: Reuters)

A U.S. government official said the ship was intercepted by the Naval force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at 0905 GMT.

Another U.S. official said that when the warning shots were fired, the Maersk Tigris issued a distress call which was received by U.S. forces operating in the region.

The closest U.S. warship, USS Farragut, was more than 60 miles away, he said, and the U.S. military instructed destroyer USS Farragut to head towards the cargo ship, which was passing through the Strait of Hormuz at the time.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Video of avalanche at Everest Base Camp with mountaineers seconds after powerful Nepal quake


Terrifying video shows the moment an avalanche crashes into Everest base camp. Read more: http://trib.al/FkHjVI0
Posted by Sky News on Sunday, April 26, 2015

Mountaineers run for cover as a barrage of snow rumbles towards them in video of the frantic seconds after the huge quake hit.

Footage has emerged of the moment an avalanche swept into Everest Base Camp after a powerful earthquake hit Nepal.

German climber Jost Kobusch was filming the lower slopes of the world's highest mountain when a mass of snow rushed in with a force described as being like a "nuclear blast".
The mountaineer is seen running for cover in his tent before being enveloped in a blanket of icy material.
Mr Kobusch is heard saying "hold on to my jacket" as the wind threatens to blow his colleague away.
Both are believed to have escaped serious injury but 18 other climbers are known to have died.

 

Footage has emerged of the moment an avalanche swept into Everest Base Camp after a powerful earthquake hit Nepal.
German climber Jost Kobusch was filming the lower slopes of the world's highest mountain when a mass of snow rushed in with a force described as being like a "nuclear blast".
The mountaineer is seen running for cover in his tent before being enveloped in a blanket of icy material.
Mr Kobusch is heard saying "hold on to my jacket" as the wind threatens to blow his colleague away.
Both are believed to have escaped serious injury but 18 other climbers are known to have died. - Sky News

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Magnitude 7.8 quake in Nepal, hundreds dead

Nepal Quake: Hundreds Dead, History Crumbles, Everest Shaken

PHOTO: A collapsed building in Kathmandu after an earthquake strikes Nepal.
A powerful earthquake struck Nepal Saturday, killing at least 718 people across a swath of four countries as the violently shaking earth collapsed houses, leveled centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches on Mt. Everest. It was the worst tremor to hit the poor South Asian nation in over 80 years.

At least 688 people were confirmed dead in Nepal, according to the police. Another 20 were killed in India, six in Tibet and two in Bangladesh. Two Chinese citizens died at the Nepal-China border. Given the scale of the destruction, the death toll is almost certain to rise, said Home Ministry official Laxmi Dhakal.
It was a few minutes before noon when the quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.8, began to rumble across the densely populated Kathmandu Valley, rippling through the capital Kathmandu and spreading in all directions -- north toward the Himalayas and Tibet, south to the Indo-Gangetic plains, east toward the Brahmaputra delta of Bangladesh and west toward the historical city of Lahore in Pakistan.

A magnitude-6.6 aftershock hit about an hour later, and smaller aftershocks continued to jolt the region for hours. Residents ran out of homes and buildings in panic. Walls tumbled, trees swayed, power lines came crashing down and large cracks opened up on streets and walls. And clouds of dust began to swirl all around.

"Our village has been almost wiped out. Most of the houses are either buried by landslide or damaged by shaking," said Vim Tamang, a resident of Manglung village near the epicenter. He said half of the village folks are either missing or dead. "All the villagers have gathered in the open area. We don't know what to do. We are feeling helpless," he said when contacted by telephone. - From ABC

Friday, April 24, 2015

CERN attempt to recreate 'big bang' alarms Stephen Hawking, others


With the reopening of CERN's 'large hadron collider' in March of 2015, two leading and well respected scientists, theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking and astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson, have recently issued independent warnings that, when looked at through the eyes of the supernatural war taking place right now upon our planet Earth between the forces of good and evil, send us a clear message: "This is it!". 

The European Organization for Nuclear Research  (CERN), derived from the name "Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire"; is a European research organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. It is based in a northwest suburb of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border, and has 21 European member states. Israel is the first (and currently only) non-European country granted full membership.

CERN's main function is to provide the particle accelerators and other infrastructure needed for high-energy physics research – as a result, numerous experiments have been constructed at CERN as a result of international collaborations. CERN is also the place the World Wide Web was first implemented. Read

Stephen Hawking

 Dr. Stephen Hawking warned that the reactivation in March of CERN's large hadron collider (LHC) in an attempt to recreate the 'big bang' could pose grave dangers to our planet... the ultimate reality check we are warned. Hawking has come straight out and said the 'God particle' found by CERN "could destroy the universe" leaving time and space collapsed.


A statue of the Hindu god Shiva depicting Nataraja 'Dance of Destruction' outside the hadron collider at CERN Geneva.
Does CERN headquarter's symbol of Shiva, dancing the cosmic dance of death and destruction, signal the TRUE purpose of CERN's existence? A look at the 'Shiva' (the Hindu God of Destruction) symbology surrounding CERN's headquarters gives us the beginning of what we need to know. "The men who would play God, in searching for the God particle, are truly going to find more than they bargained for as they open the gates of hell" we are warned by Stephen Quayle, "they will find inter-dimensional beings who have a taste for human flesh and humanity's destruction. Most scientists, in lacking an understanding of the 'supernatural entities' that are going to confront them, are way beyond their ability to comprehend, let alone control, the forces of Pandora's box that will be released."

Astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson has also sounded the alarm in a hypothetical manner by telling anyone who might want to 'blow up a planet' how to do so...is this CERN's attempt to do so by attempting to 'recreate' the big bang within a man made structure that has frightened Stephen Hawking so much? Read


 “Ask yourself: how much energy is keeping it together?” Neil de Grasse Tyson told co-host Eugene Mirman on his Star Talk radio show. “Then you put more than that amount of energy into the object. It will explode.”

Matuwid breakthrough? Philippines has worst impunity problem in the world - study


Philippines has worst impunity problem - study


InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines --  The Philippines has earned the dubious distinction of having the worst record in bringing wrongdoers to justice, according to a study of countries plagued by impunity.
The country topped the list of 59 countries included in the first World Impunity Index drawn up by the Impunity and Justice Research Center of the Universidad de las Americas, a private university in Puebla, Mexico.

The Index, released over the weekend, has created great social impact in Mexico, which has been suffering from years of criminal violence aggravated by a corrupt security and justice system, and ranked second.

Rounding off the top five were Colombia, Turkey and Russia. On the opposite end of the Index were Croatia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Republic of Montenegro, and Bulgaria, all in the Balkans area of Europe.

The researchers defined impunity as "the impossibility, de jure or de facto, of bringing the perpetrators of violations to account -- whether in criminal, civil, administrative, or disciplinary proceedings -- since they are not subject to any inquiry that might lead to their being accused, arrested, tried, and, if found guilty, sentenced to appropriate penalties, and to making reparations to their victims." 

Countries ranked from worst to best in the Global Impunity Index:

Corruption stems from impunity
Interestingly, the researchers concluded that corruption is not the source but the result of impunity.
“The reason people have become increasingly corrupt is because they realize how the system functions, how the structure of the system of goverment creates conditions to allow to them to escape unpunished,” said L. A. Derbez Bautista, rector of the university.

“Having good laws is not enough for a country to develop,” the study stressed. “People need to know that those are going to be effectively implemented.”

According to the research team, impunity is a concept with three dimensions: security, justice, and human rights. Each dimension was evaluated in terms of structural capacity and functionality in the countries included in the research.

Only 59 of the 193 member-countries of the United Nations were included in the study. This was due to the availability of updated data on the three dimensions of impunity.

Emergent countries like India, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, and Indonesia do not periodically give information to the UN on security and justice, and therefore were excluded. However, the researchers expect to include more countries in the future.

Inequality, not wealth, fuels impunity
Surprisingly, the study concluded that the wealth of a country is irrelevant when it comes to impunity, as shown in the per capita income of the best performers in the Index.

What helps fuel impunity, it said, was inequality, noting that countries that did not provide opportunities for economic development failed to reduce the unequal access to security and justice for their citizens.

Countries with medium and high levels of human development ranked better in the Index.
The measurement of the Index includes 14 factors divided in three groups: five related to problems of public security, five to administration and delivery of justice, and four to violations of human rights.
The Philippines did not get good results in any of the 14 factors and had the worst “structure of the security system” and “security system of human rights.”

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Raymond Kawataki Go: Brazen and Bellowing Artworks


Rocking it out with his paintbrush, Raymond Kawataki Go bellows between his deepest, darkest subconscious while tiptoeing on the bright light ahead of him – one layer at a time.

At the very core of Filipino painter Raymond Kawataki Go beckons a world of social responsibility that proves artistry can be raised higher without having the need to be loud with your voice at the external world that is filled with social injustices.

 “I’m a social expressionist,” says Kawataki Go. “I’m concerned with the environment. If I could be a politician, I would fix the problems. As a painter, I apply my messages in my paintings. They’re not obvious. They’re hidden. But that’s what I want to show how I tackle these issues.”

Kawataki Go’s paintings are brazen of goblin-looking figures, darkness and morbidly depressing for the amateur art connoisseur. Still, one must look past his themes to notice the stories behind them.  Feeling a sense of discomfort is just part of the experience and that there is a bigger message that needs one’s attention – knowing how to be empathetic with your surroundings.

“What you may see is always negative. But it’s positive in a way because of the changes. I hope you can find the solutions to these issues. I want to show the truth. Unlike other artists, my style is that I don’t necessarily want to show that I’m good at rendering.”

Sporting a ponytail, army pants and tattoos on his forearms, the 37-year-old Kawataki Go was raised in the island province of Marinduque, a few hours south of the Capital. Now based in Quezon City, Kawataki Go’s style has evolved since he started painting seriously in 1994.

During that time, he preferred to showcase his paintings at underground venues because his style has mostly been 'ugly beautiful.'   
“The beauty of my work is that what the eye captures is not the same beauty as what the beauty captures by the heart and of the mind,” says Kawataki Go. “I’m not pretentious. I’m actually showing my personality.”
There's no place like home
There's no Place Like Home (Oil on Canvas) by artist Raymond Kawataki Go

Even today, his works continue to revolve around ‘sinister’ images like in “Mga Sigaw na Walang Tinig (Screaming Without Voice).” In a world where the gap between the rich and the poor continuously widens, the little screams are inaudible to those who've chosen to turn their ears away.
His five years hiatus a few years back enabled him to rediscover Philippine history with books that have influenced his paintings. Moreover, his ancestral roots stemming from Chinese and Japanese influences have allowed him to be closer with his Filipinoness. 

“I've studied Philippine history. There’s a lot of politics in painting… this is what I do. I release my hatred sometimes on certain issues since what else can I do? Old mistakes are done in the past,” he says.  

While his messages are still the same, Filipinos are now more accepting of his paintings. This is why Kawataki Go has been able to show his collections at various galleries. Last year, he had his second solo show and comeback exhibition entitled ‘Of Gods and Patriots’ where he submerges his audience to the realm of power and contradictions, religious and secular, myth and reality.
Little Boy Blue and the Man on the Moon (Oil on Canvas) by artist Raymond Kawataki Go
Little Boy Blue and the Man on the Moon (Oil on Canvas) by artist Raymond Kawataki Go

With each passing year, he has been more convinced of the ‘hardwork to talent’ motto in cementing his talent as a painter in the Philippines. 

A once proclaimed loner, ‘Little Boy Blue and the Man on the Moon,’ is an autobiography of his childhood period. Kawataki Go paints a dog which represents his companion while his father was often away on business trips.

Now married and raising a son, Kawataki Go is finally showing a different personality - a rainbow. 
“I’m happy now because I’m surrounded with family and friends. My work is still sort of morbid. You can follow it. But there’s a saying: ‘Don’t believe in my painting. Believe in me,’” he says.  

“The beauty of my work is that what the eye captures is not the same beauty as what the beauty captures by the heart and of the mind,” says Kawataki Go. “I’m not pretentious. I’m actually showing my personality.” -     from Style by Asia

Monday, April 20, 2015

Of sunspots viewed from Quezon City, coronal holes and solar winds; Earth-facing CME approach

Sunspots

The sun is peppered with so many spots, observers are beginning to notice them at sunrise--no filters required. Jett Aguilar "spotted" the dark cores this morning when the sun came up over Quezon City, the Philippines:







"At sunrise on April 19th I took an image of the sunspot-spotted sun rising over the Sierra Madre mountains of Luzon," he says. "I used an unfiltered Canon 300 mm f/4 lens with a 2x Canon extender on a Canon 7D DSLR. Exposure was 1/2000 sec at f/45, ISO 100."


Coronal Hole

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is monitoring a hole in the sun's atmosphere--a "coronal hole." It is colored deep-blue in this extreme UV image of the sun taken by SDO on April 17th:






Coronal holes are places where the sun's magnetic field opens up and allows solar wind to escape. In the image, above, the sun's magnetic field is traced by white loops. Arrows show the flow of material out of the hole.
Holes in the sun's atmosphere are not unusual; they appear several times each month. A stream of solar wind flowing from this particular coronal hole will probably reach Earth on April 22.


Earth-facing large CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) approach

 Large CME approaching, increase in earthquakes expected:




Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Ang Kristo: Pasyondula remounted in Buenavista, Marinduque


Buenavista, Marinduque: Ang Kristo: Pasyondula is a 3-hour passion play first mounted in 2006 by Teatro Balangaw, a Marinduque community theater group. It has been presented since then in Buenavista, Gasan and Boac and this year 2015, returns to the original town where local artists and municipal officials hope to make it an annual Holy Week event in this scenic and laid-back locale at the foot of the mystical Malindig volcano. 
 
Pax Riego of Buenavista as Kristo; Joseph Biggel as Longhino


 The 2015 version features Joseph Biggel of PBB (see video), as the blind centurion Longinus who regained his sight when blood and water poured from the body of the crucified Christ when he pierced His side with a spear.
Presented bv the Municipal Government of Buenavista under the leadership of Mayor Russel S. Madrigal in cooperation with Liga ng mga Barangay and Teatro Balangaw.

Curtain call.


 

Director's notes on the original 2006 production reposted below from an old blog

"ANG KRISTO: PASYON-DULA", BUENAVISTA, MARINDUQUE ABRIL 12 & 13, 2006 

Preparing for Pasyondula dress-tech rehearsal, 2015 production. Photo: Jovijane Sotto-Reanzares
MGA TALA NG MANUNULAT AT DIREKTOR ELI J. OBLIGACION TUNGKOL SA DULA: (Bahagi ng teksto ng Programa para sa Pagtatanghal)
‘SINAKULO’
“Sinakulo” ang tawag sa alin mang pang-Mahal na Araw na dula tungkol sa kalbaryo ng Panginoong HesuKristo. Karaniwang sinisimulan ito sa Banal na Hapunan (“senakulo” ang turing sa silid na pinagdausan ng ‘Huling Hapunan’ ni HesuKristo at mga apostoles ayon sa ‘Pasyong Mahal’) at natatapos sa ‘Pagkabuhay Muli’.


Tila laging bantulot naman ang mga kritiko ng sining na ihanay sa tinataguriang lehitimong teatro ang ‘Sinakulo’ tulad ng noo’y ‘Zarzuela’ at ‘Moro-moro’ at modernong teatro ngayon dahil diumano sa ‘kapayakan’ ng mga ito. Ibang pamamaraan at pamantayang estetiko raw ang ginagamit sa mga ito na higit na umaasa sa mga ‘payak’ na personal o pinaghalong interpretasyon ng mga gumaganap bilang tauhan at mga namamahala ng ‘Sinakulo’.


Naroong makita natin, halimbawa, na para makilala ng mga manonood si San Pedro ay kailangang may dala itong panabong dahil itinatwa nito si Hesus ng tatlong beses bago tumilaok ang manok, sa iba naman ay kailangang may hawak na susi ng langit ang mahabaging Pedro. Naroong makita natin na upang pahalagahan ang mga apostoles ay kailangang lagyan sila ng mga sinag (‘halo’) sa ulo tulad ng pamosong larawan.


Bagama’t ang lihim na pag-iibigan nina Claudia at Longhino tulad ng sa ilang lugar ay hindi maaring sabihing ‘payak’ kung ang basehan ay kaisipan ng sumulat nito na inimport pa nga naman. At lalong hindi masasabing ‘payak’ kung libo-libong piso (o milyon-milyong piso kaya), ang ginagasta para sa pagpapatayo ng palasyo ni Pontio Pilato na ang disenyo ay tipong Disneyland o ‘Camelot’. Subalit ‘Sinakulo’ pa rin ang mapuwersang turing ng lahat sa mga ito. At ‘senakulistas’ naman ang tawag ng mga gumaganap sa kanilang sarili, gayundin ang tawag ng mga manonood.


Rehearsal pic with director, 2006.
“ANG KRISTO: PASYON-DULA”
Ano’t ano man iyon, nagkaroon ng pagkakataong mabuo ang “ANG KRISTO: PASYON-DULA” sa bayan ng Buenavista, Marinduque ngayong taong 2006. Sa mga kadahilanang nabanggit na, hindi nga ito ‘Sinakulo’. ‘Passion Plays’ ang tawag sa Ingles sa mga dulang naglalarawan sa buhay at pasakit ni HesuKristo, mula sa Oberammergau (Alemanya), hanggang sa Estados Unidos na kung saan ito itinatanghal at dinarayo upang panoorin. Kaya’t bago ito tawaging ‘Sinakulo’ ay maiging idikit na ng maaga ang salitang “Pasyon-Dula” sa titulo ng “ANG KRISTO”. Nang may kasimplehan o ‘kapayakan’. Ang tawag sa kabuuhan ng gawain mula pag-iisip, pananaliksik, pag-eensayo, hanggang sa pagtatanghal ay simple rin: Pasyon-Dulaan.


Ang kaibahan nga lamang, upang higit na maunawaan ng mga manonood ng pasyon-dulang ito kung saan nagmula ang mga pangyayaring naging kadahilanan sa pagpako sa Krus at pagkamatay ng Panginoong HesuKristo, na hindi maaaring makita kung ang dula ay sisimulan sa Huling Hapunan, kinailangang simulan ang kuwento mula sa pagbautismo kay Hesus ni Juan Bautista at ipakita ang mga mahahalagang pangyayari ayon sa kuwento ng buhay Niya mula ng panahong iyon. Ang mga mahahalagang pangyayaring ito ang binigyang buhay sa unang bahagi ng dula. Kaya’t ang ikalawang bahagi ay magsisimula naman sa pagsalubong sa Kanya sa Herusalem.


Kinailangan ang masusing pananaliksik. Ginamit ang ‘Magandang Balita Biblia’, King James Version ng Biblia, ‘Kasaysayan ni Longhino’ (Eli Obligacion, dulang itinanghal sa Gasan, Marinduque 1997),’Gospel of Luke’ (Catholic Pastoral Edition), ‘The Lost Teachings of Jesus’ (Summit Univ. Press),’The Story of Redemption’(Ellen White), ’Pasion ni Hesukristo’ (Mariano Pilapil), ‘The Life of St. Longinus’ (Caxton’s English Text), ‘Detached Account of Longinus (Emmerich), ‘Detached Account of Abenadar’ (Emmerich), Internet search finds tungkol kay Claudia Procula, Longinus, Pontius Pilate. Pinanggalingan din ng ilang materyal ang mga pelikulang “The Passion of the Christ”, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, ”Jesus of Nazareth”, “Jesus”. Ang mga teksto sa iskrip na may kaukulang marka ay direkta o halos direktang hinango sa ‘Magandang Balita Biblia’.

PAGBUBUO AT DIWA NG BOLUNTERISMO
Natapos ang unang balangkas ng iskrip noong Pebrero 24, 2006. Nagsimulang mamili ng mga magsisiganap sa dula noong Marso 4, 2006, at sinimulan kaagad ang pag-eensayo bagama’t wala pang kaliwanagan kung paano magkakalap o saan manggagaling ang pondong gagastusin sa ganito kalaking produksiyon. (Higit sa 60 ang kailangang magsisiganap). Subali’t tulad ng paulit-ulit naming sinasabi sa mga artistang tumugon sa panawagan, ang ano mang mabuting bagay o magandang panaginip ay hindi mawawalan ng tagasuporta at lahat ay matutugunan – kung may pananampalataya sila sa buti ng kanilang ginagawa.


Sumaklolo na nga ang Pamahalaang Bayan ng Buenavista sa pangunguna ni Mayor Madrigal at kanyang mabubuting mga kaibigan. Gayundin ang mga kaibigan ng Balangaw. Sumuporta ang mga magulang ng mga kabataang kasali (mga mag-aaral at mga out-of-school youths), na nakaunawa na maaaring gabihin sa pag-uwi ang kanilang mga anak sa pag-eensayo. Nagbigay ng suportang moral ang DepEd sa pagsali ng ilang mga guro.


Ang lahat ng may kinalaman sa pagbuo ng dula ay maagang tinanggap sa kanilang sarili na ang pangyayaring ito ay sinasalihan ng bawa’t isa sa Diwa ng Bolunterismo at hangad na maging bahagi ng pagpapayabong ng sining at kultura (o pag-unlad ng turismo man), sa magandang Buenavista. At sa pagsasagawa nito ay maging bahagi ng paghugis ng modernong pangkulturang kasaysayan ng kanilang sariling bayan at komunidad. Iyon lamang!

TAMPOK NA MGA TAGPO
Bangungot ng isang mandudula na sumulat ng isang drama na di naman maiisagawa sa ibat-ibang kadahilanan, mga limitasyon. Subalit depende na nga iyon sa pagkamalikhain ninuman. Sa kaso ng “Ang Kristo”, base sa ipinamalas na kakayahan ng mga artistang gumaganap ay nadagdagan pa ang unang balangkas nito at sa huli ay naisakatuparan ang mga sumusunod na eksena sa loob ng limang linggong pag-eensayo:

UNANG YUGTO “MESIYAS”
1. PAGBAUTISMO KAY JESUS
2. PANUNUKSO NI SATANAS
3. PROKLAMASYON NG MISYON NI HESUS SA NAZARETH
4. MGA PANGARAL NI JESUS / PAGPAPAGALING
5. SI MARIA MAGDALENA
6. SA TANIMAN NG MAIS / ISYU NG SABADO
7. JUAN BAUTISTA IPINABILANGGO!
8. BEELZEBUL
9. BABAENG NAHULI SA PAKIKIAPID
10. “MALAKAS ANG DATING NG JESUS NA ITO!” (MGA KRITIKO)
11. PAGPILI SA LABINDALAWA / BEATITUDES
12. GALIT ANG DIYABLO
13. BABAENG MAKASALANAN SA BAHAY NG PARISEO
14. TRANSFIGURATION
15. ANG TAONG GRASA
16. BUKAS AT WALANG TAKOT NA PAHAYAG NI HESUS
17. SENTIMYENTO NG MGA APOSTOLES
18. SI LAZARO
19. HERODES (DECADENCE)

IKALAWANG YUGTO “KRISTO”
1. MGA KETONGIN
2. PAGPASOK SA JERUSALEM
3. ANG GALIT NA KRISTO
4. KRISTO / MAGDALENA/ APOSTOLES
5. PAGHUHUGAS NG MGA PAA / BANAL NA HAPUNAN
6. GETHSEMANE AT PAGDAKIP KAY KRISTO
7. SANHEDRIN (CAIPHAS, ANNAS, ESCRIBAS, PARISEOS, JUDAS
8. SA HARAP NI PILATO / PAGKAMATAY NI JUDAS
9. HERODES
10. PAGBALIK KAY PILATO
11. PAGHAGUPIT / PAGLIBAK / BARABAS /PAGHUGAS KAMAY
12. PANAGINIP NI CLAUDIA PROCULA
13. PAGTATALO NI PILATO AT CLAUDIA
14. VIA CRUCIS HANGGANG SA PAGLIBING (At mga Piling Salita ni HESUKRISTO) - Pagkadapa; mga kababaihang nanangis; mga Apostol; Maria (Ina), Magdalena, Juan, Veronica, Simon ng Cyrene, kilos ng mga Pariseos, mga Kawal, mga mamamayan, Pagpako, Pagkamatay, Libing.
15. PATOTOO NI LONGHINO / HIMAGSIK NG BUDHI NI PILATO
16. ANG PAGKABUHAY NA MULI NI KRISTO/
PAGPAPAKITA NI KRISTO SA MGA APOSTOLES

PRODUKSIYON
Minabuting period costumes ang idisenyo na sinaliksik ni Ian Sotto ng Escolta. Mga katutubong materyales at disenyo naman para sa props at entablado na dinisenyo ni Alvin Ereso ng Caigangan. May karanasan siya sa ganitong gawain sa mga pang-komersiyal na tanghalan sa Maynila. Si Bobby Labay ng Pinggan ang nagplano ng pang-ilaw na disenyo dahil naging lightsman naman siya sa CCP noong araw. May kaalaman din siya sa paggawa ng fog machine na dry ice ang gamit para sa ilang eksena.


Ang karamihan sa nagsiganap ay sa kabayanan ng Buenavista nakatira. Ang ilan nama’y mga taga Caigangan, Bancoro, Bagtingon, Malbog, Libas, Yook, Antipolo at Lipata. Ang ilan ay hatid ni Ian pag-uwi sa kanyang tricycle.


Wala sa orihinal na plano ang mag-anyaya ng mga panauhing artista (dulaan o pelikula), subalit nabuksan ang pagkakataong makasalamuha naman ng mga kabataang artista ang isa sa kanilang mga hinahangaan na kahaliling gaganap bilang Kristo.

PANANALIG
Sa huli, maliwanag na ang “ANG KRISTO: PASYON-DULA “ ay isang buhay na patotoo na “anuman ang hingin natin sa panalangin, manalig tayong natanggap na natin iyon at matatanggap nga natin!” (Mc 11:24). Amen!

ASEAN filmfest best director is Marinduque's Joseph Israel Laban!

Pinoy artists sweep awards in ASEAN filmfest

 (The Philippine Star)

 
From left: Carlo Obispo (ASEAN Spirit Award for Purok 7), Cherie Gil (Best Actrress for Sonata), Nora Aunor (Lifetime Achievement Award), and Joseph Israel Laban (Best Director for Nuwebe)


MANILA, Philippines - Pinoy artists won five awards at the second ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards held last April 11 at the Borneo Convention Center in Kuching, Malaysia.

The awardees were Nora Aunor, Lifetime Achievement Award; Purok 7 by Carlo Obispo, ASEAN Spirit Award; Joseph Israel Laban, Best Director for Nuwebe; Cherie Gil, Best Actress for Sonata (directed by Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes); and Benjamin Tolentino, Best Editing for Bendor (by Ralston Jover).

 Nora received the Lifetime Achievement award from last year’s winner, Michelle Yeoh (of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame) and the citation states it was presented to an ASEAN film personality who has broken the international barrier while the ASEAN Spirit Award (Purok 7 by Obispo) was given to a film that portrays the best of ASEAN. Jackie Chan received the ASEAN Inspiration Award. 

The Philippine team received 18 nominations in nine categories: Best Director: Carlo, Purok 7 and Ralston, Bendor; Best Film: Bendor and Nuwebe; Best Actress: Vivian Velez, Bendor; Barbara Miguel, Nuwebe; and Krystle Valentino, Purok 7; Best Supporting Actress: Anna Luna, Bendor; Best Actor: Allen Dizon, Magkakabaung; Best Supporting Actor: Nico Antonio, Red; Best Photography: Bernard Dacanay, Red and Mark Gary, Sonata; Best Editing: Thop Nazareno, Purok 7; and Best Screenplay: Ralston and Marzaldy Quitana, Bendor and Wango Gallanga, Sonata.

Piolo Pascual along with popular ASEAN celebrities Anuar Zain and Dasha Logan of Malaysia, Emilia Contessa of Indonesia and NOLZA (K-Pop group) of South Korea provided the entertainment.

The ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards “furthers the art and craft of ASEAN filmmaking by inspiring and championing the work of screenwriters, filmmakers and artists who use the language of a film to tell a story.” - From Philstar