‘Forevermore’ attracts tourists to Benguet’s Mt. Kabuyao

A new tourist attraction has emerged in Baguio City – Mt. Kabuyao in Tuba, Benguet which is the location of the ABS-CBN teleserye “Forevermore” featuring Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil in the lead roles. In the series, the place is called La Presa, and vendors here are now selling souvenir items bearing the name.

In our recent trip to Baguio City last Monday, we went to Mt. Kabuyao in Tuba, Benguet to see for ourselves what this place La Presa people are talking about. Mt. Kabuyao is located 5,500 above sea level and as we made our way to the top via the zigzag road, the fog became thicker and thicker. As we reached the top, the skies cleared but there were still instances that the place will be enveloped with fog, making everything in your sight disappear.

It was a pity that there was no taping on the day that we went there so we were not able to talk to any of the stars of the series. But even if the ride to the top was scary (especially when the fog gets thick), it was still a sight to behold. And it was cold up there.

Vendors selling souvenir items like shirts and caps are quite plenty as the place became a much sought-after pasyalan due to the ABS-CBN teleserye. People took pictures of the place, with the thick fog as backdrop. But once “Forevermore” stops taping, we wonder if there would be more people coming up the mountains of Mt. Kabuyao?

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There is a saying that goes “great things comes in small packages.” But we can tweak this and say that great films may come from short films. So if you are an aspiring filmmaker, you may want to start your craft by doing a short film and eventually do your full-length film in the future.

Better still, why not enter a filmmaking competition to test the waters?

This must be the idea of the 2015 Singkuwento International Film Festival Manila Philippines (SIFFMP), which announced the finalists of its short film competition, to be held from February 21 to 28.

The Singkuwento fest started in 2013 as a non-competition festival that showcased short films by a small group of filmmakers. This year, it will start its first competition that is open to the public. The finalists will battle for awards for Best Short Film, Best Cultural Short Film and Best Documentary Short Film, among others.

“It’s been a very challenging task to select the films for competition from an immensely talented pool of entrants. From the original plan of having 15 films for competition and 15 films for exhibition, we have decided to have all 30 in competition instead,” said filmmaker and producer Roberto Reyes Ang, head of SIFFMP board of judges.

Screenings will be at the Leandro Locsin Theater inside the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Building, 63 Gen. Malvar Street, Intramuros, Manila. The winners will be announced during the awards ceremony on February 28, 8 p.m. also at the NCCA.

Here is the complete list of short films and their filmmakers:

“Abakada ni Nanay” by Joni Sarina Mejico, “Andre1a” by Emmanuel Sambayan, “Ang Mga Bulong sa Bituka ng Sta. Mesa” by Hector Barretto Calma, “Apasol” (Chasing Sun) by Ryanne Murcia, “Dag-um” (Dark Skies) by Chloe Veloso, “Deadline” by Igor Cruz, “Gulong” (Roll) by Anj Macalanda, “Hindi Pa Ako Tulog Jose Alberto” by Juan Patlang, “Imahe” by Kristofer Ted Navarro, “Int. Kotse. Gabi” by Epoy Deyto, “Justlanded” by Paolo Lat, “Kalaw” by Immy Belle Rempis, “Lisyun ng Geografia” (Geography Lessons) by Petersen Vargas, “Lupang Pangako” by Juan Carlo Torobal, “Mabuhay ang Pilipinas” by Bor Ocampo, “Mga Eroplanong Papel sa Tag-araw ng Paglimot” by Jaime Habac Jr., “Mis Da Ka” by Carlo Catu, “My Revolutionary Mother” by Jethro Patalinghug, “Nakangising Bato” by Simon Vigan, “Pahiyom Alang Kang Evelyn” (A Smile for Evelyn) by Chloe Veloso, “Pusong Bato” by Martika Ramirez Escobar, “Qng Pangacupas Ning Matingcad Qng Cule” by Jerome Cunanan, “Raket” by Raymond Mamaril, “Sibol” by Mikee Dela Cruz, “Taguan” by Marvin Gabas, “The Ordinary Things We Do” by David Corpuz, “Towards the Skye Light” by Karl Justin Martin, “Tubigan” by Hiyas Baldemor Bagabaldo, “Viscera” by Herwin Benedictos Cabasal, and  “Yellow Lights” by Bea Velasco.

The weeklong event is in cooperation with the NCCA and MPJ Entertainment Productions. For tickets, visit ticketworld.com.ph.