•Why Karen was suspended from TV Patrol •Vilma for Batangas governor?

You, too, have been missing Karen Davila on TV Patrol since last Monday, haven’t you? (And you noticed that Pinky Webb is a refreshing pinch-hitter as Julius Babao’s co-anchor, didn’t you?)

No, Karen is not just "on leave" as many people must have been thinking. The truth is that she has been suspended for one week for violating an ABS-CBN News & Public Affairs Department policy (said to have been imposed by Dong Puno who was then head of that department) against news people appearing in commercials, which is not binding for talents in the Entertainment Department like Kris Aquino and Boy Abunda who are among the most in-demand product endorsers, and Niña Corpuz (who’s endorsing a beauty product).

Guess what Karen is endorsing that had led to her suspension – yes, Obagi which The Belo Medical Group is exclusively marketing, the same beauty product used, according to Dr. Vicki Belo, by Hollywood actresses like Charlize Theron and Ashley Judd and local stars like Lucy Torres-Gomez who has been using it for eight years now. The ad appeared in an issue of Philippine Tattler.

Karen is in the same boat as Mel Tiangco found herself in several years ago when she was suspended for one month for appearing not just in a print ad but in a TV commercial, a suspension that spawned a bigger controversy when Mel signed up with GMA, prompting ABS-CBN to file a case against her. (Mel eventually won.)

The week-long suspension (limited to TV Patrol and not including Karen’s other show, The Correspondents) gave Karen a chance to take a long-planned Stateside vacation... in San Francisco with husband DJ Sta. Ana (head of the ABS-CBN News Department).

Will Karen resurface on TV Patrol on Monday, May 29? Will ABS-CBN decide to retain Pinky Webb who fits the bill as beautifully as Karen does? Or will Karen do a Mel Tiangco (I doubt if she would dare, I doubt it very much!)?

Keep an alert eye on TV Patrol even as, I suspect... you’re tuned in to Mel Tiangco and Mike Enriquez on 24 Oras?

* * *

The 2007 elections (will they be pushed through or not?) are 11 months away and already, sizzling news are filtering in as to who is running for what position.

A few days ago, there was a report (largely ignored because it was tucked in the inside pages) that Lipa City Mayor Vilma Santos, who is serving her third and last term, is planning to run for governor of Batangas. The big question is: Is she or isn’t she?

Asked about her "future political plans" by Funfare, Mayor Vi answered only with an enigmatic smile, not making even a "no comment."

Actually, Mayor Vi is in a little dilemma. Her brother-in-law, Ricky Recto, incumbent Vice Governor of Batangas, is reportedly determined to run for governor, so Mayor Vi won’t ever allow herself to be pitted against him, will she (that is, if she has a secret intention of running for the same position)?

But what if, just if, Ricky sets aside his reported plan, will Mayor Vi respond to a reported popular clamor by Batangueños and, like what she did when she first ran for Mayor of Lipa City, throw her hat into the gubernatorial-race arena?

As I’ve said, the 2007 elections (if that will ever happen) are only 11 months away and it’s never too early for anybody "with an intention" to, well, stand up and be counted.

Right, Governor Vi?

The derring-do of Cesar Apolinario

If you watched last Tuesday night’s episode entitled Mambabatok on The Reporter’s Notebook, written and reported by Cesar Apolinario, you must have noticed how neat it was, as if its preparation was as smooth as laying the buffet table for a party.

The episode, which ran for barely 15 minutes, showed the sea scavengers of Camiguin Island , part of the Babuyan Group of Islands, and how they make a dangerous living by scavenging ships that sank during World War II, staying underwater for hours cutting rusty steel parts which they sell in Aparri for a few thousand bucks.

Camiguin Island can be reached by small motorized boat through usually treacherous seas, five hours from the shore. On the day Cesar and his crew did the coverage, the sea was initially calm but turned nasty as soon as they left the shore. And that’s when Cesar and company’s guts were put to a test – all in pursuit of a good story.

"It was a dangerous ride," recalled Cesar. "We got lost at sea because Camiguin Island was covered with clouds. For hours, our boat was tossed by giant waves and I thought the end was near."

So how did Cesar and company find their way to Camiguin Island?

Yes, through Cesar’s Smart cellphone.

"Everytime I lost signal," said Cesar, "I knew we were going in the wrong direction, so I would ask the one manning the boat to go the other way. It happened so many times that it took us more than five hours to reach Camiguin Island. Had my Smart cellphone conked out, o kaya nag-low-batt, I doubt if we would find our way there – and back."

So that’s the risk that dedicated TV reporters like Cesar Apolinario would take to give televiewers a good story. Cesar’s experience was reminiscent of that of Jessica Soho whose plane was wrongly reported to have gotten lost while she was doing a story on Spratly Islands.

"It was one of my most unforgettable coverages," said Cesar.

Well, all I can tell Cesar is this: May you have many more (such risk-taking coverages) to come! (And don’t forget to bring along your Smart cellphone!)

Pinoy film wins in Germany fest

One more Filipino film has won honors abroad. Here’s a report from Funfare contributor Meyor Sanchez:

Khavn´s latest work, Rugby Boyz, has just won in the 52nd Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, one of the oldest and most renowned film festivals in the world. It received the Special Mention Prize from the Jury of the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia last May 9.

The members of the jury were Theda Kluth from Düsseldorf, Agnes Meyer-Brandes from Köln, Michael Girke from Herford, Claudia Siefen from Köln, and Rainer Komers from Mülheim/Ruhr. The Jury gave this statement: "Rugby Boyz is a documentary about boys living in Philippine slums. With a unique colour and lighting design and a poetic narrative approach, the filmmaker manages to show the boys’ indomitable will to live and the fragility of their situation in life."

Aside from the International Competition section of Oberhausen, Rugby Boyz was also shown in the Kids And Youth programme, the only international Children’s and Youth Films Competition in Germany.

Rugby Boyz had its world premiere in Rotterdam International Film Festival early this year. Gertjan Zuilhof writes in the catalogue: "Slim and cheerful boys. They seem to be playing rugby without a care. Maybe because they don’t have anything to worry about. Just one of the slums in the Philippines. A documentary doesn’t need to be long. This one already says more than enough."

Rugby Boyz will also compete in the Busan Asian Short Film Festival (Korea), Hamburg International Short Film Festival (Germany), and Vila Do Conde International Short Film Festival (Portugal). It was also shown locally last March in the Ateneo Video Open and at the Kampo Sining Pambata, a summer camp for children from urban poor communities, held last May in Antipolo.

Rugby Boyz is about boys who know the dual essence of rugby: playing football and sniffing solvent. They tell vampire jokes, rap about river deaths, and dive like jack-knives into the murky water. The cruel irony of the hope these children bring.

Khavn is currently finishing a children’s full-length movie, Larombata, the first digital animation feature in the Philippines. Supported by Cinemalaya, Larombata is a musical fantasy about Philippine games and toys, featuring Niño Muhlach´s voice and footages from his early films.

Rugby Boyz is written and directed by Khavn. Cinematography by Albert Banzon. Assistant direction by Rayg Generoso. Editing by Caloy Carlos. English translation by Merv Espina. Produced by Filmless Films. Running time: eight minutes.

Rugby Boyz is included in the first volume DVD of Khavn’s short-film collection which is exclusively sold in Datelines Bookstore (Cubao Shoe Expo) and Mag:net (Katipunan, ABS-CBN, & Paseo).

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