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nila Film Festival ( MMFF ) into what can be called a real film festival with substantial movies . The traffic is still there , but many creative solutions are being worked out . Now , if only the drivers and public vehicle drivers will cooperate ! * * * Deserving of our ‘ thank you ’ too are the Immigration agents at the NAIA who intercepted a “ recruiter ” and her four victims — women from the poor province of Bicol who were going to be ‘ surrogate mothers ’ in Cambodia . The scheme is incredibly cruel and falls under the crime of human trafficking . The recruited women , single and one married , were going to bear the babies of four foreigners and be paid for the ‘ job ’ of being injected with a sperm and if a baby is conceived , they get paid at the first sign of a heartbeat !
They would be given vitamins and money every month ( in US dollars ) of their pregnancy and upon delivered the balance of their salary . No safeguards if the scheme falls apart , by the way . As it was , the women claimed that they were not given the R100,000 promised upon acceptance of the ‘ deal .’ They were just desperate to help their families
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that they went along , the married recruit said . She also did not tell her husband about the plan to be a surrogate mom .
The recruiter ( a Filipina , by the way ) had the temerity to argue there was no violation in the scheme . She also admitted to having a Cambodian woman as her ‘ boss .’ Have we sunk to this new low to lead our impoverished kababayans to a hellhole for a few dollars ?
I wonder who will help these poor misled recruits now ? * * * Not having seen the film Oro , I did not want to take sides on the raging issue of animal cruelty . But I want to know … was the dog beaten and butchered for art ’ s sake ? For realism ? Because the story called for it ? To show man ’ s inhumanity to dogs ? Because the area where the film was supposed to have happened allow butchering of dogs for meat ? Whatever reasons the director had , it was a barbaric act and could have been done without actually resorting to the killing of the dog .
Having said this , how I wish we could have raised the same indignation at the extrajudicial killings that littered
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MMDA chair Tim Orbos and his only son Gio , a 23-year old scholar in Savannah College of Art and Design , arrive at the MMFF awards ceremonies .
the nation on the second half of 2016 ! The victims , whether they are addicts or “ collateral damage ,” are humans !
And speaking of EJKs , there is hope in drug addicts and kids with behavioral problems in the Self Enhancement for Life Foundation facility in the scenic hills of Talisay in Batangas . As founder and former drug addict Martin Infante says , “ No one is beyond redemption and everyone deserves the chance to feel fulfilled from accomplishing a daunting task … there is always hope and rehab does work .”
I was invited to watch the pre- Christmas musicale “ A World of Pure Imagination ” at the facility and it proved Martin ’ s core belief . The right rehab program does work ! It did with him , coupled with support from his family . And now , his internationally- approved facility is supported by families of the residents wholeheartedly .
The audience that night was treated to an hour and a half of pure magic from the director Fritz Ynfante ’ s imagination and acting and skills he imparted to the residents . My thought when watching the presentation was an incredulous “ these are youngsters
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who were in drugs before ?” Hallelujah ! The actors were performing like professional dancers , singers , even acrobats !
Truly everyone deserved
a second chance , even a third and a fourth , to come back from the black shadows of the illegal drugs world . ( mb . com )
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