Art vs. global warming /A rose for every book

To celebrate Earth Day, an open-to-the-public roundtable discussion and workshop on climate change will be held at the DFA auditorium on April 18 to build a community centered education program. Located in the typhoon rings, the Philippines is highly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate changes, with its documented rising sea levels and landslides.

The inter-agency committee organizing the discussion is led by the UNESCO Philippine Commission headed by Ambassador Preciosa Soliven and the Climate Institute through the EarthSavers Movement founded by former Senator and now Presidential Adviser on Land Reform Heherson Alvarez.

A comprehensive cultural communications art-based public information campaign, through arts and media, can be collectively forged, according to Cecile Guidote Alvarez, Presidential Adviser on Culture and NCCA executive director. This, she added, is in line with President Arroyo’s call for a collective response to the global warming crisis.

In cooperation with the Institute of Komiks Arts and Sciences led by Commissioner Jose Santos and filmmaker Carlo Caparas, the International Theater Institute/EarthSavers Dream Academy, in partnership with Supreme Master Ching Hai International Foundation, has mobilized comics creators to produce graphics literature on climate change. Cecile Alvarez has requested permission to dub Pilipino on the Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" narrated by former US V-P Albert Gore, which documentary pushes environment sustainability as one of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.

A "Linis Brigada" student-community campaign will be launched by Department of Education Secretary Jesli Lapus to revive the polluted streams by managing waste to prevent storm drains blocking, and by planting tree seedlings which sequester greenhouse gases that cause climate change.

Guidote-Alvarez added that the roundtable discussion will exhibit appropriate artistic representations conducted by the National Museum through Director Corazon Alvina, with scientific data obtained from various agencies, students, artists and comic illustrators, musicians and dancers. A balagtasan about the adaptation to climate change impacts will be staged.

At Instituto Cervantes

This column has already announced Instituto Cervantes’ celebration of World Book Day on April 21 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. This is a reminder to book lovers that a book market will offer at token prices more than 4,000 brand new books. A sale of books at 20% discount will be offered by Filipino publishing houses. Following Spanish tradition for Book Day, every book buyer will be gifted with a rose.

Through the day, there will be jazz shows, concerts, dance performances, film screenings, Spanish wine and cheese tasting, free Salsa and Latin dance classes, photo and declamation contests.

Guided tours of the IC building will be conducted at certain hours. New students enrolling on this day will have a 20% discount for certain schedules if fees are paid in full.

Special movies with the theme Great Books on the Screen will be shown at 2 p.m. (La colmena) and at 6 p.m. (El metodo). Children’s movies in Spanish will be at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Climaxing the evening fun will be a Latin band and Spanish delicacies.

Veteran journalist and lawyer Rosa M. Ma. Calaf, recipient of various journalistic prizes, will share with listeners reflections on news information and television experiences on Thursday, April 19, 7 p.m. at IC’s Salon de Actos.

2007 UP Alumni Awards

Nominations are now open for the following categories: Most Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award, Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award, Outstanding Professional Award, Community Service Award (National, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao), UPAA Service Award, UPAA Outstanding Alumni Chapter Award, Special Recognition Award, and Outstanding 2007 Graduate Award. Deadline for submission of nominations is April 16.

Nomination forms are available at the UPAA Student Secretariat, Rm. 211, Ang Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, QC. Call Dheng Alcazar, tels. 9206871, 9206868 or 9206875 (telefax).