Korina goes on three-month leave

CEBU, Philippines – ABS-CBN’s Korina Sanchez is taking a temporary leave of absence from all her news work next year. Her absence will be good for three months starting January until March 2015 to concentrate on an important project for her school work which requires a trip abroad. Korina is taking up her Master of Arts in Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University and is applying for a simultaneous course from the London School of Economics requiring her trip to Europe.

“I’ve talked about this with the network’s management since middle of last year. The bosses were all for it. My advanced studies have taken the backseat for too long and if I don’t do this now, I may never. Kaya nga pinagsasabay-sabay ko na. It’s not easy but I’m optimistic I can do this,” Korina said.

Korina’s business manager Girlie Rodis confirmed that they have filed for a leave of absence for the end of this year but it may come earlier depending on Korina’s travel plans for the

holidays. “I encouraged Korina to do this because education is important at any stage of one’s life. And she’s been planning this for so long. I’m happy she finally decided to take this seriously,” according to Rodis.

ABS-CBN News Head Ging Reyes meantime confirmed the receipt of Korina’s leave of absence request. “Yes it is a leave of absence of three months which management has granted to Korina. The company values higher education as it is always a plus among our ranks. Many in our stable have also taken leaves of absence to pursue further studies. When they come back, there is always better output. We wish Korina the best of the experience,” Reyes said.

While Sanchez will be on leave from her daily live newscast, she will still carry on with her weekly magazine program “Rated K” and her occasional, award-winning interview show “Up Close and Personal” on ANC. Korina will also be back for the news coverage of Pope Francis’ Papal visit to the Philippines in 2015 as she has been covering the Vatican for years and followed his Papacy since he was voted in.

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Allen Dizon gave big honor to the Philippines by winning the Best Actor award at the recently concluded third Hanoi International Film Festival. He won for his quiet but moving portrayal in the feature film “Magkakabaung/The Coffin Maker,” an entry in the main competition of the full-length film section.

The members of the jury who picked Allen as winner were Mr. Kirii Razlogov, the program director of the Moscow International Film Festival, famed Korean director Lee Doo-young, Vietnamese award-winning actress Hong Anh, Canadian film producer Niv Fichman and award-winning veteran director from the Philippines, Peque Gallaga.

According to a reliable source, Allen’s win was a unanimous decision by the jury. He beat an elite field composed of noted British Hollywood actor Ralph Fiennes (“Schindler’s List” and “Harry Potter”) who was nominated for “Two Women” which is the entry from Russia; famed Korean actor and model Go Soo (“Green Rose,” “My Fair Show”), Na See Ruddin Shan, an award-winning actor from India who is the lead actor of “The Voiding Soul” and Vietnamese actors Trung Anh for the

movie “The Children of the Village” and Tran Bao Son from the popular Vietnam main competition entry “Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere.”

In his acceptance speech, Allen said his victory is a “dream come true” and what made it even more special was that he was with his wife and children in Vietnam. Allen said he will not forget the warm reception accorded to him in Vietnam. He got interviewed by the press and was featured in a local television coverage during the opening ceremonies where he walked on the red carpet premiere together with his daughter Felixia who played as his daughter in the movie.

This is the second International Best Actor trophy for Allen. Last September, he won the Best Actor trophy at the ninth Harlem International Film Festival held in New York.

Aside from Allen’s victory, “Magkakabaung” (The Coffin Maker) also won the Best Asian Film/NETPAC Awards at the third Hanoi International Film Festival, which was accepted by Jason Paul Laxamana, the director of the movie.

“Magkakabaung” will be shown on December in Austin, Texas as part of The Filipino Film Series, where other award-winning Filipino films will be shown namely “Norte,” “Transit,” “OTJ,” “Debosyon” and “Graceland.”

Allen is also glad that his new movie is part of the Metro Manila Film Festival New Wave section as a feature length film competition entry. This is a great opportunity as the local movie audience will get the chance to see a high-quality movie. “Magkakabaung” will be shown from December 17 to 24 at SM Mega Mall and Ayala Cinemas. The movie also stars Gladys Reyes, Emilio Garcia and Chanel Latorre.