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Sailing away

By Richard Roeper
Movie Review
Adrift
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
IT MUST be a kick for the makeup and nifty effects people to sit in the back of a theater and soak in the reaction from the audience when a character has to stitch up that nasty cut on her forehead with a makeshift needle and thread. Or how about that moment when someone rips open a jeans leg, and we see the “bone” jutting out from a gaping wound? GROSS!
We have such visceral reactions to these onscreen moments. Nervous chuckles, cries of “Ewwww!” even closing our eyes and telling our seatmate to let us know when the scene is over.
The seafaring survival drama Adrift dutifully (and quite effectively) delivers on the ol’ stitch-the-wound scene, and gives us multiple looks at an increasingly gruesome leg injury.
We also get a number of other familiar lost-at-sea movie moments, from the rationing of food and water (there always seem to be a few cans of Spam onboard) to the desperate firing of the flare gun to the moment when somebody wails, “We’re going to die out here!”
These are hardly spoilers, good people. When your main characters are lost at sea, with little hope of contacting the outside world and a finite amount of time before hope dies, there’s little choice but to fall back on a familiar set of occurrences to keep the plot churning.
Adrift is based on the true story of Tami Oldham and her fiance, Richard Chase, who in 1983 were hired to sail a yacht from Tahiti to San Diego, a 4,000-mile adventure that turned harrowing and life-threatening when their craft was caught up in Hurricane Raymond and tossed about like a toy boat.
If you know the details of what happened, certain developments in the movie will not surprise you. Even if you aren’t familiar with the story, you might figure it out.
Noted free spirit Shailene Woodley is well cast as Tami, a sunny and adventurous 23-year-old who has spent the last five years traveling the world, picking up work where she can and never looking back. (To say Tami’s upbringing back in San Diego wasn’t exactly idyllic is putting it mildly. Little wonder she has no interest in returning home any time soon.)
Tami meets a kindred soul in the Englishman Richard Chase (Sam Claflin), a handsome, easygoing sailor who has literally built his own boat and is addicted to life on the open waters. Within months, they’re engaged and planning a life together.
And then a wealthy couple offer them $10,000 and two first-class plane tickets to transport the yacht. A few weeks into the excursion, disaster strikes. Richard is incapacitated by a shattered leg and busted ribs, and it’s up to Tami to figure out a way to repair the craft, chart a (seemingly impossible) course to civilization and, oh yeah, survive with meager provisions.
Director Baltasar Kormákur (who helmed the 2015 mountain-climber survival story Everest) ping-pongs back and forth between the aftermath of the disaster and the sun-dappled, sweet and quite cheesy courtship of Tami and Richard, who marvel at their good fortune in finding each other as they spend their days sailing and kissing and swimming and laughing and dancing and kissing and you get the idea.
At times the flashback sequences feel repetitive and unnecessary. Let’s get back to the wrecked boat and find out if Tami the staunch vegan will get over her refusal to kill any living thing and spear a tasty fish for dinner!
We don’t even see the actual wreck until near the end of the film, but when the storm arrives, director Kormákur, top-flight cinematographer Robert Richardson, the special effects team and two game actors do an incredible job of plunging us into this terrifying experience.
Woodley is a stronger screen presence than the low-key Claflin, but they have a lovely and natural chemistry together. We’re glad Tami and Richard found each other.
Adrift doesn’t have the impact of the minor classic Open Water (2003) or the underappreciated Robert Redford survival story All Is Lost (2013) or even 2016’s fantastically implausible Blake-Lively-vs.-great-white-shark The Shallows, but it’s a well-tailored vehicle for Woodley to showcase her grit and her hippie-dippie appeal. — Chicago Sun-Times/Andrews McMeel Syndication
Rating: 3 stars
MTRCB Rating: PG

PCCI seeking incentives for investing in training

A BUSINESS CHAMBER urged the government agencies to provide incentives for private sector investment in training students to work in certain industries.
“Training isn’t purely school training in the classroom. You need equipment and facilities… and I think the government should allow companies in certain industries to bring in their equipment tax-free, so that more people can experience high-quality training with the right equipment,” according to George T. Barcelon, Chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
Mr. Barcelon made the remarks on Thursday at a PCCI event marking its collaboration with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) for the K-to-12 PLUS Project and Don Bosco school’s ONE TVET Project.
“Germany, and other European countries with a long-standing tradition in dual education and training repeatedly show lower youth unemployment figures. The key factor is the effective and trustful collaboration between government and industry through an apprenticeship system that blends classroom education with on-the-job-training,” German Ambassador to the Philippines Gordon Kricke said.
Companies should invest in dual education and training because “in the medium- and long-term, the benefits are higher than the costs (in training) so we want to raise awareness in enterprises that it is worthwhile to get involved,” said Andreas Dernbach, Project Coordinator for the K-12 PLUS Project.
The German government is supporting skills development projects in the Philippines, including the ONE TVET Project which was implemented in Don Bosco schools nationwide. The program aims to assist marginalized youth with training relevant to immediate employment. The PCCI’s K to 12 PLUS Project, meanwhile, aims to boost employability by matching skills with the needs of companies.
“We only started last year,” said Don Bosco Vice Rector Fr. Jose Dindo S. Vitug regarding ONE TVET, funded by BMZ and other stakeholders. “We have expanded our networks among industries. We made TVET more visible even in far-flung areas.”
Mr. Dernbach said education and training are of equal importance because “they really make young people fit to be work-ready,” he said.
“We are thankful to the German government for their continuous support through numerous technical and financial cooperation projects, systematic developments, and development cooperation. The challenge now is how we make sure that the government and the private sector will move towards joint responsibility for dual education and training in the country,” said PCCI President Ma. Alegria Sibal-Limjoco. — Gillian M. Cortez

MCBL launches dollar VUL fund

MANULIFE China Bank Life Assurance Corp. (MCBL) has launched a financial product combining insurance coverage and investment yields.
In a statement Thursday, the bancassurance partnership of Manulife Philippines and China Banking Corp. (China Bank) said it recently launched the MCBL China Bank Dollar Fixed Income Variable Unit-linked (VUL) Fund.
Unlike traditional life insurance products, a VUL fund features earning potential as the policy value is linked to investment funds and reflects their performance. Like a mutual fund, VUL products provide full-time professional fund management with the benefit of diversification, allowing customers to invest in fixed income securities and government bonds.
China Bank President and Chief Executive Officer William C. Whang said the bancassurance firm’s group of seasoned fund managers “will make sure to apply effective strategies to optimize the growth of our customers’ investments.”
The new fund is available as an option for any MCBL Single Premium VUL product. It is the first in MCBL’s fund suite that is managed by China Bank Trust and Asset Management Group.
“Insurance and wealth products go hand-in-hand to give customers the protection they need to grow their investments through professionally managed funds,” Manulife President and Chief Executive Officer Ryan Charland was quoted as saying in the statement.
Latest data from the Insurance Commission showed MCBL was the ninth-biggest life insurer in terms of premium income as of end-2017 with P8.21 billion. — KANV

Basic Energy says it won’t give up geothermal service contracts

BASIC ENERGY Corp. has not given up on its service contracts to explore five areas in the Philippines for their potential capacity for geothermal energy.
“We don’t have any intentions of letting go of it [geothermal service contract] because we believe that that’s still the future,” Basic Energy President and Chief Executive Oscar L. de Venecia, Jr. told reporters after the company’s annual stockholders meeting on Wednesday.
“We will need a lot of baseload requirements and geothermal is one of those sources for baseload. We feel that there is a lot of room for geothermal and we believe [in] the projects that we have,” he said.
Although geothermal exploration is a more expensive project than other energy resources, Mr. De Venecia said it remains viable in the long run.
The company has allocated around P60 million to P70 million as capital expenditure for its Philippine projects.
“When it comes to geothermal, when you say exploration it is resource confirmation. You’re trying to find the source of the steam, you’re looking for the temperatures, you’re looking for the size of the field, how much steam you can make,” Mr. De Venecia said.
Basic Energy has five service contracts awarded by the Department of Energy for the exploration and development of geothermal energy in Mabini, Batangas; Mariveles, Bataan; east Mankayan, Benguet; Iriga, Camarines Sur; and west Bulusan, Sorsogon. The five projects are in different stages of development.
“In Mabini, we’ve done the first well. We’re doing a confirmatory well hopefully by the end of the year if not in the first quarter of next year,” Mr. De Venecia said. “That’s the longest contract we’ve had. That was the first one awarded to us way back 2007.”
In Iriga, Basic Energy continues with geophysical surveys, he said. The project is now led by Desco, Inc. after Basic Energy in December 2016 secured the Energy department’s approval on the farm-in agreement and deed of assignment with the service provider.
Under the deal, Desco will shoulder the expenditure for the geophysical survey and all other activities required to bring the Iriga geothermal service contract to drilling.
“It’s a little more behind,” he said, adding Basic Energy is still gathering data to determine the best area to drill its first exploratory hole.
“West Bulusan is still a little far because we’re still trying to work with the community in getting things started there,” Mr. De Venecia said. — Victor V. Saulon

You’re it

By Richard Roeper
Movie Review
Tag
Directed by Jeff Tomsic
DEEP into the astonishingly dopey, odiously off-putting and thoroughly unfunny Tag, one of the main characters says, in all sincerity:
“This game brings out the best in us.”
No. It really doesn’t. It brings out the worst in all of you. It turns you into a bunch of insufferable, violent, selfish, creepy jerks who have ruined some of the most pivotal moments in each other’s lives, including (but not limited to) the birth of a child and the funeral of a parent.
All in the name of playing tag. As in, “You’re it!”
As you might have heard, this would-be piece of… fiction was inspired by the real-life story of a group of friends from Spokane, Washington, who played an ongoing, month-long game of tag every year for more than two decades.
When The Wall Street Journal published an article about the game in 2013, Hollywood took notice, and within weeks, the group had sold the movie rights to their story.
Now, you might be thinking this is a mighty thin premise for a feature-length film. A newspaper article, sure. Maybe even a documentary short. But a full-length feature about five friends (it was 10 friends in real life) in their 40s who regress into behaving like reckless dip-bleeps for an entire month once a year, all in the name of playing a meaningless game with no real rewards other than saying, “You’re it!”
Seems like a stretch, right? Unless the filmmakers came up with some creative and intriguing and movie-sustaining additions to that paper-thin premise, this hardly seems like the best launching point for a major motion picture.
No such luck.
Despite the best efforts of the greatly talented cast, Tag is a deadly drag, filled with uninspired slapstick gags, cardboard characters that practically dare us not to like them or root for them, and a heavy dependence on stoner jokes and dialogue ranging from penis jokes to pot jokes to penis jokes to… more pot jokes.
Let’s meet the morons!
Ed Helms is Hoagie, a veterinarian who takes a job as a janitor just so he can tag his buddy Bob Callahan (Jon Hamm), a successful and preening insurance executive.
Jake Johnson is Chilli, an aimless pothead with no wife, no job, and no interests beyond getting stoned all the time.
Hannibal Buress is Sable, who is seriously paranoid and spends much of the story on the sidelines, making observations that sound more like a stand-up routine than anything a character in any movie would ever say. (“Why does biweekly mean twice a week AND every other week?”)
Over the course of the last 30 years, each of the above goofs has been “it” countless times, but none of them has ever tagged Jeremy Renner’s Jerry, not even once.
Jerry’s speed, self-defense capabilities, and strategic acumen would make him a good candidate to be in a Bourne movie. (Hey!) Whenever one or more of the boys come at Jerry, everything moves in slow motion as Jerry describes in voice-over what he’s seeing and how he’s going to evade a tag.
And then he dodges his friends by choking them, bludgeoning them, catching them in elaborate traps and mocking them for their physical and psychological failings.
Good times!
The male characters in this story are poorly drawn, but they’re “The Usual Suspects” compared to the female characters.
Annabelle Wallis plays the WSJ reporter who arrives at Bob’s company for a standard profile but then winds up accompanying the group to Jerry’s wedding, because she’s a journalist and dang it, THIS is a story.
Leslie Bibb plays Jerry’s disturbingly cheerful fiance, who is in great need of some decaf (and a character rewrite). Isla Fisher scores a couple of laughs as Hoagie’s wife, who’s more intense and competitive than the guys — but isn’t allowed to play in the game. The terrific Rashida Jones looks as if she’s wandered in from a different movie as she plays Cheryl, the object of Bob’s and Chilli’s childhood affections. (As Bob and Chilli compete anew for Cheryl’s attentions, she calls them “idiots,” and all we can do is nod in agreement.)
Of course Tag ends with a dissolve to grainy, home movie-type footage of the real-life guys as they tag one another — with the moment almost always ending with laughter and hugs. In those snippets, they seem far more likable and decent than their fictional counterparts. The good news is, Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner and Hannibal Buress and Ed Helms and Jake Johnson are going to play you guys in a movie! The bad news is, it’s THIS movie.
We’re not even halfway through 2018, but when it comes time to compile my list of the worst movies of the year, I have a strong sense there will be a moment when I’ll be saying to Tag: You’re it. — Chicago Sun-Times/Andrews McMeel Syndication
Rating: One star and a half
MTRCB Rating: R-16

BSP warns vs fake papers

BSP
THE CENTRAL BANK warned the public versus fake debt documents.

THE BANGKO SENTRAL ng Pilipinas (BSP) has issued a warning against fake loan documents being peddled by scammers, saying these are not guaranteed by the central bank.
In a public advisory, the regulator denied any links to loan papers and deposit certificates being offered to individuals and corporates by people who claim to be employees of the BSP.
“The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas warns the public against fraudulent loan documents, deposit certificates, fund transfer documents or other commercial papers allegedly issued, secured or guaranteed by the BSP,” read the statement published on the BSP Web site.
These papers are apparently being offered to individual borrowers as well as to corporations and institutions, and carry imitations of the BSP’s seal and letterhead. The documents likewise carry forged or unauthorized copies of signatures of BSP officials for supposed “fund release orders.”
The papers are supposedly issued by the “Treasury Department Staff” but do not carry the name of a certain employee or official.
“Scammers claim that such documents will facilitate financial transactions in favour of the recipients, in exchange for confidential personal or corporate information, and subject to fees or charges,” the BSP added.
“For your protection, do not believe claims of unexpected monetary gain.”
The central bank has clarified that they do not issue or guarantee any commercial products of this sort and do not transact with the public “at random.”
Any offers or encounters with these parties should be reported to the BSP’s Financial Consumer Protection department, the central bank said.
The BSP stands as the country’s sole monetary authority and regulator of the banking system. — Melissa Luz T. Lopez

Short on workers, German companies offer more employee flexibility

BERLIN — German companies are so desperate to attract staff that they are falling over themselves to offer perks such as long holidays, shorter hours, flexible shifts and sabbaticals, even though employees here already work the fewest hours in the developed world.
Last year, state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn, one of the country’s biggest employers, offered workers a choice between six days extra annual leave, a 2.6% pay rise or a one-hour cut in the working week.
Of around 137,000 staff given the choice, 58% opted to add more holiday to the 28 to 30 days they already receive; 40% went for the pay rise and just 2% cut their weekly hours to 38 from the current 39.
“In Germany, the topic of the demographic shift is a big problem,” Sigrid Heudorf, head of employment conditions at Deutsche Bahn, told Reuters in an interview.
“We have a big challenge of attracting employees and making them loyal to us,” Heudorf said. “We have to think about what employees want.”
The preference for more holiday was particularly pronounced among women, who account for just 23% of Bahn employees, up from 22% in 2012. It is targeting 25% by 2020.
Germans work fewer hours than most, just 1,363 per worker in 2016, down from 1,452 in 2000, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
That compares to an average of 1,763 in the 35-member OECD, with US workers putting in 1,783 hours and Mexicans toiling hardest — 2,255 hours a year.
An unusually strong, sustained economic upswing combined with a shortage of people of working age has made German firms more worried about attracting employees than in other leading economies, according to a survey by staffing firm ManpowerGroup.
More than half of German employers are struggling to hire employees versus a global average of 45%, with 82% of large firms reporting difficulty, the survey showed. The hardest roles to fill are for skilled trades, engineers and in tech.
During a recent visit to Berlin, billionaire German-American venture capitalist Peter Thiel said young people were more interested in going to nightclubs than making their fortunes, joking that the capital offers a “work-life-life-life balance.”
That is not quite the case at Deutsche Bahn: its workers put in about 1,600 hours a year, well above the German average. Its standard 39-hour week compares to the 35 hours in the industrial sector at car makers and engineering firms.
After a series of strikes, the IG Metall union that represents 3.9 million workers in that sector agreed a deal this year to allow staff to cut their working week to 28 hours for up to two years to care for children or other relatives.
Meanwhile, Europe’s largest telecoms company Deutsche Telekom agreed in April to give workers at its main German operating units 14 days extra days off in lieu of an earlier agreed two-hour reduction in the work week to 36 hours.
Vacancies in Germany surged by 128,000 in 2017 to reach 1.18 million in the fourth quarter, a survey by the IAB labor office research institute found.
Deutsche Bahn needs to hire 19,000 workers this year to replace a wave of retiring baby boomers. It has already taken on more than 60,000 new employees in the last five years.
The recruitment drive must continue for the foreseeable future: 44% of its employees are older than 50% and 28% are older than 55.
“People might not have realized that so much flexibility was possible with Deutsche Bahn,” Heudorf said.
Deutsche Bahn created a digital marketplace that allows workers to swap shifts. Employees also can open “time accounts” to save up unused annual leave and overtime for future sabbaticals or periods of part-time work.
While trains must run on time, flexible staff scheduling appeals to parents who want to pick up children or commuters who want to work four long days and then have a long weekend.
“When the train leaves, somebody has to be on it,” Heudorf said. “But (flexible scheduling) works more often than you would think. And these programs also make employees feel involved. They understand where and why there are limits in the company.” — Reuters

Sandbox now has kart racing, water obstacle course


By Michelle Anne P. Soliman, Reporter
IT WAS approaching noon when the members in a visiting media group (including this writer) each rode a fun kart around the Alviera Sandbox racing complex in Pampanga. I was worried about my short legs not reaching the gas pedal. While we waited for the go signal, the marshals released the lock on the pedals. Surprisingly, I was able to reach the pedal, move forward, drive at my own pace, and complete two rounds without a problem, despite not having a drivers license.
In the afternoon, the challenge was to complete the 11-obstacle water course which was not as easy as it looked. To propel yourself forward atop the first floater of the first obstacle, one must first climb up a rope. I stepped into the four-foot deep pool to reach for the rope but accidentally slipped and ended up struggling under the floater. When I managed to get up, I found it difficult to go through the first course since the water made it slippery. Losing my balance, I let go of the rope and tried again. It took six attempts, a slight crack on my back, and intense focus to keep my balance before I managed to reach the end of the pool — it took me eight minutes.
Launched in 2014, Alviera Sandbox is the initial offering of Ayala Land, Inc. and Leonio Land Holdings, Inc.’s mixed used development in Central Luzon. The 1,800-hectare estate in Porac, Pampanga is envisioned to be a tourism hub and will include residential buildings, industrial parks, and a recently introduced commercial block. It will also be the home of the Holy Angel University and a satellite campus of Miriam College.
Ayala Land, Inc. project development associate manager Leonard H. Grape said that economic potential and strategic location is the reason that they choose the province of Pampanga for the project. “We’ve seen Pampanga and even the entire central Luzon region as a region that has the potential to contribute national growth and that’s something that [we want to] become part of — to be able to support and [and encourage] inclusive growth not only in Pampanga but also in the entire region,” he told BusinessWorld during the media visit to Sandbox on June 19.
Mr. Grape added that Pampanga’s accessibility via NLEX, SCTEX, T-PLEX, and its proximity to the Clark International Airport makes it an accessible tourist hub.
NEW ATTRACTIONS
Sandbox began as a two-hectare park which had the very first roller coaster zipline in Asia and the tallest giant swing in the Philippines as some of its attractions. This year, the Splash Tub and City Kart Racing join in its roster of recreational attractions.
Mr. Grape said that they aim “to continue the momentum” of the reception Sandbox has received as a “unique outdoor recreation park” offering an “adrenaline-filled and unique experience.”
City Kart Racing, the kart track facility originally located in Circuit, Makati, has a four-hectare complex with over 100 race karts. Guests have to surrender a valid ID (not necessarily a driving license), and have a safety briefing prior to driving one of the go-karts.
For the first round, beginners ride the fun karts with front wheel protection and lower speed capacity. Afterwards, guests may opt to try the super kart which is twice the size of a fun kart, is equipped more for racing compared to the former which is built for leisure driving.
Guests drive around the karting complex for two rounds, 12 karts at a time. Marshals are stationed around the complex to ensure safety. A yellow flag is raised signaling danger and that the karts need to slow down, a blue flag means one has to give way, and a checkered flag which indicates a finished round.
While the City Kart Racing complex is currently operational, it is also undergoing further expansion in order to host international kart racing events in the future such as the Rotax Max Asia Challenge.
Meanwhile, the Splash Tub is Sandbox’s first water facility, with 11 obstacle courses divided in three stations. The 1,200 sq.m. facility has a kiddie area with floaters, and beside it and separated by rope barriers is the Aqua Dash tournament area for adults. There is also a jacuzzi-like lounge pool which includes unicorn-, and oyster-shaped floaters.
Groups of four can test their balance and skills in the obstacle course (they should be at least four feet tall and weight no more than 220 pounds). They will first have a safety briefing, and then are kitted out with life jackets, and elbow and knee pads. They are also advised to wear rash guards and carry no gadgets with them. A participant who fails to accomplish the first station after three attempts may move on to the next course. The team with the fastest recorded time wins the challenge.
The Aqua Dash tournament in the Splash Tub will be open to guests in July.
A two-hectare are for paintball and airsoft, and a mini-golf court are some of the upcoming attractions.
As for future developments in the estate within the next five years, Mr. Grape said that planning for the first hotel is ongoing, the 5.6-hectare Alviera Country Club is on track to open by first half of 2019, the educational institutions are targeted to operate within two to three years, and a partnership with De La Salle Philippines for an “international caliber” botanical garden is also underway.
Alviera Sandbox is located at Alviera, Porac Access Road, Porac, Pampanga. Alviera Sandbox is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The City Kart Racing complex is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 2 to 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.alviera.ph/sandbox/.

Pryce says 1st half income likely hit P750M

PRYCE Corp. expects to record a net income of P750 million in the first semester of 2018, or a little below half of its P1.55-billion target for the year, its chief executive said.
“We probably made P750 million in the first half,” Pryce Chief Executive Officer Salvador P. Escaño told reporters on Thursday after the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting in Makati City.
“However, you must realize that 55%-60% of revenues and income is made in the second half because the rainy season happens in the second half,” he said.
Mr. Escaño, who is also Pryce chairman, said the weather towards the end is favorable for the consumption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the company’s main business.
Earlier this year, Pryce said it expects to post a 20% increase in net income to P1.55 billion in 2018 as it sees the tax reform law driving revenues of its LPG business. It also expects sales volume to grow by as much as 15%.
With the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law’s implementation and company’s expansion of its LPG projects, Mr. Escaño is confident of meeting this year’s targets.
In 2017, Pryce Corp. posted a 29% increase in net income to P1.25 billion, driven by higher revenues from the sale of LPG products. The listed firm, which imports and distributes LPG under the brand name PryceGas, previously said last year’s profit was within target.
Mr. Escaño said the passage of the TRAIN Law or Republic Act No. 10963 had a positive impact on the LPG industry, as the law imposes relatively lower taxes on the product as opposed to other fuels.
On Thursday, shares in the company slipped 0.17% to close at P5.80 apiece. — Victor V. Saulon

Cebu Pacific to move int’l flights to MCIA Terminal 2

CEBU PACIFIC on Thursday said it will move its international flights to the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Terminal 2 when it opens on July 1.
“MCIA T2 (Terminal 2) will commence commercial operations at 2 a.m. on July 1, 2018 (Sunday). (Cebu Pacific) will join 21 other carriers with international flights to and from Cebu in the resort-themed passenger terminal,” the budget carrier said in a statement.
However, Cebu Pacific said it will continue to operate its domestic flights from the MCIA Terminal 1.
The company said it will provide shuttle buses for passengers who would have to transfer to a different terminal. These rides will leave every 10 minutes.
The new Terminal 2 is expected to increase passenger capacity of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport to at least 12.5 million passengers a year.
Cebu Pacific operates 385 weekly flights at the MCIA. This includes international flights from Cebu to Incheon, Hong Kong, Narita and Singapore, as well as domestic flights to Manila, Clark, Davao, Puerto Princesa and Cagayan de Oro, among others. — Denise A. Valdez

A busy K-pop weekend


JUNE 30 will be a busy day for Filipino K-pop fans. Super Junior (below) will hold the Manila leg of Super Show 7 (Super Junior World Tour) at the Mall of Asia Arena at 8 p.m., while fast-rising actor Jung Hae In (right) will meet his local fans for the first time at the Kia Theater at 6 p.m. With Super Junior members taking turns serving their mandatory military service, the group was forced into inactivity for a few years. The 12-man band’s last concert in the Philippines was the sold-out Super Show 5 in October 2013. Leader Leeteuk will return with Lee Donghae, Kim Heecheul, Choi Siwon, Eunhyuk, Yesung, and Shindong, promising an elaborate and fun-filled two-hour show. Meanwhile, Jung, who starred in the recent Koreanovelas Something in the Rain, Prison Playbook, and While You Were Sleeping, will perform a few songs and play games with his fans. He will also have a question-and-answer portion during the fan meeting. Tickets are still available at SM Tickets for Super Show 7 and at TicketNet or through CDM Entertainment for the Smile fan meeting.

What to see this week

4 films to see on the week of June 29-July 6, 2018

Uncle Drew


FACING A number of setbacks after using his life savings to enter a team in a street ball tournament in Harlem, a desperate Dax persuades a legendary basketball player, Uncle Drew, to return to the court. The two then have to persuade the old squad to join them. Directed by Charles Stone III, it stars Kyrie Irving, Lil Rel Howery, Shaquille O’Neal, Reggie Miller, Nate Robinson (III), and Chris Webber. Hollywood Reporter’s John DeFore writes, “Moviegoers who don’t get a kick out of spotting athletes on the screen may be less than enthralled by the otherwise formulaic comeback flick, but sports-loving viewers will likely be more enthusiastic.”
MTRCB Rating: G

Sicario: Day of the Soldado


IN THIS FOLLOW UP to the 2015 film about drug cartels (which got a score of 93% on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes), a federal agent teams up with a man whose family was murdered by a drug cartel kingpin. They kidnap the kingpin’s daughter in a bid to escalate the drug war, but soon find themselves questioning what they are doing. Directed by Stefano Sollima, it stars Benicio del Toro, Joss Brolin, Isabela Moner, and Jeffrey Donovan. The film has a respectable score of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety’s Peter Debruge writes, “Soldado may not be as masterful as Villeneuve’s original, but it sets up a world of possibilities for elaborating on a complex conflict far too rich to be resolved in two hours’ time.”
MTRCB Rating: R-16

The Write Moment


A HEARTBROKEN writer magically finds himself living the scenes he has written and fails to reunite with an ex-lover through his own romantic comedy scripts. Directed by Dominic Lim, it stars Jerald Napoles and Valeen Montenegro.
MTRCB Rating: R-13

Walwal


FOUR high school friends find themselves protecting each other and their bond together as they navigate their college lives. Directed by Jose Javier Reyes, it stars Elmo Magalona, Donny Pangilinan, Kiko Estrada, and Jerome Ponce.
MTRCB Rating: PG

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