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Short films tackle history, social problems in PH

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Maricel E. Burgonio, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/08/28/20180828_ph.jpg"/><figcaption>Marlon Fuentes, director/producer of Bontoc Eulogy; Lisa Ito-Tapang, associate professor, University of the Philippines; and Yason Banal, UP associate professor at the Philippine Consulate General in Milan, Italy.</figcaption></figure></div>MILAN, Italy – Several short films that tackle history as well as present problems in society in the Philippines were shown as part of the presentations on “Exhibiting Architecture: Display in the Age of the Postcolonial and Neoliberal” at the Philippine Consulate General in Milan.Among the short films shown at the consulate was Marlon Fuentes&#x27; “Bontoc Eulogy,” the story of a man&#x27;s search for his roots, with actual footage of tribal Filipinos during the American colonial period.In an interview, Fuentes said the film is about the 1904 St. Louis World&#x27;s Fair in Missouri, where the Filipinos from Bontoc, Mountain Province were shown on display as proof of the benefits of American colonialism.“It deals in a personal level and history of American colonialism after we gained independence from Spain. To justify Philippine-American War, what happened was the US created St. Louis World Fair in Missouri to celebrate the establishment of US in the Philippines,” Fuentes said.The film consists of snapshots and footage of the World&#x27;s Fair and some reenactment. He said the film is a personal story about the man&#x27;s search for his roots, and what happened to his grandfather Markod, an Igorot.Markod and several families of his village went to the St. Louis World&#x27;s Fair. They were first taken to San Francisco on a boat and two of his companions froze to death in a boxcar on a train to St. Louis.“Learning our history is very important. Knowledge of history will locate and give the context of our present experience. The more history we know, the more we know that we are connected, not only by geography, but we are also connected from shared narratives that are common to our people,” Fuentes said.“The different tribes and different ethnic groups in the Philippines, they are different, but we also shared the same heritage. We all have are indigenous histories, the biggest sin is to erase this histories and homogenized it in the name of progress. A certain level of preservation and acknowledgement of our unique differences is good. But it&#x27;s also important that aside from these differences, we share common national heritage and history,” he added.Aside from Fuentes, Lisa Ito-Tapang, associate professor at the University of the Philippines, also presented two short videos on the education of Lumads in Surigao del Sur; and on free housing in Bulacan from alternative media or community-based media made by young filmmakers.In the video, Lumad communities expressed their worry about President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement to bomb all Lumad schools, which he said teaches subversive ideas. The Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural Development (ALCADEV) was established near the Lumad communities in Surigao del Sur to educate them after they have struggled to defend their ancestral lands from mining companies due to lack of education.“Nagbabago din ang kultura ng mga sectors na ito. Isa na diyan ang urban poor, isa &#x27;yan sa pinaka-marginalized sector sa atin. Ang magandang naipakita ng video at experience so far, nakakalikha sila ng culture through collective action,” Ito-Tapang said.Meanwhile, Yason Banal, Philippine Pavilion artist and an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines, presented several short videos about the current problems in the country.“Ika-anim (na video ang) DMCI Homes. Napaka-interesting ng recent real estate boom sa atin. Ang pagpundar ng seguridad at magandang tirahan. Nagkainteres ako dito, ang DMCI Torre de Manila, may koneksyon ang real estate boom sa kasaysayan, na-block niya si Rizal,” Banal said.In 2017, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition against the construction of 49-storey high-rise condominium project Torre de Manila, located along Taft Avenue, Manila, giving the green light for the resumption of the construction for the P3.6-billion project.The Knights of Rizal asked the high court to stop the construction of the project, and order its demolition for violations of the constitutional provision on the conservation and promotion of the country&#x27;s historical and cultural heritage.

Several short films that tackle history and present problems in society in the Philippines were shown as part of the presentations on “Exhibiting Architecture: Display in the Age of the Postcolonial and Neoliberal” at the Philippine Consulate General in Milan.

Several short films that tackle history and present problems in society in the Philippines were shown as part of the presentations on “Exhibiting Architecture: Display in the Age of the Postcolonial and Neoliberal” at the Philippine Consulate General in Milan.

Short films tackle history, social problems in PH

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Short films tackle history, social problems in PH

Maricel E. Burgonio,

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

Published August 28, 2018 12:57 PM PHT

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Philippine Consulate

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