Filipinas, Ahora Mismo

Infobox_Radio_Show
show_name = Filipinas, Ahora Mismo


imagesize =
caption = "Filipinas Ahora Mismo" logo
format = Cultural, Informative, Educational
runtime = 60 minutes, Mondays to Fridays (airs without commercials)
creator = Asociación de la Prensa de Cádiz
Proyecto de Cooperación Radyo Manila
Bureau of Broadcast Services

starring = "Main Anchor:"
Bon Vibar (Seasons 1-4)
José Ricardo Molina (Season 1)
"Segment Hosts (Season 1):"
Theresa José
Camille Tan
Christine Cruz Rávago
"Segment Hosts (Season 2):"
Armis Obeña Bajar
María Mendoza
Mónica Rodriguez
Mark Jason Villa
Christine Cruz Rávago
"Segment Hosts (Season 3):"
Richard Allan Aquino
José Juan Ramírez de Cartagena
Fernando Gómez de Liaño
Stephanie Palallos
Christine Cruz Rávago
"Segment Hosts (Season 4):"
Javier Escat
Cheryll Ruth Ramirez
Marlon James Sales
Carmen Tejada
Christine Cruz Rávago

home_station = DZRM Radyo Manila 1278 Khz
country = flagicon|Philippines Quezon City, Philippines
flagicon|Spain Cádiz, Andalucía, Spain
first_aired = March 2007
last_aired = March 2009
num_episodes = 5 per week, except Maundy Thursday and Good Friday during Holy Week.
website = http://www.prensacadiz.org, http://www.bicentenario2012.org/radios.asp

"Filipinas, Ahora Mismo", or "Pilipinas, Ora Mismo" (English translation: "Philippines, Right Now"), is a syndicated 60-minute, cultural radio magazine program in the Philippines broadcast entirely in Spanish. The only one of its kind in the country, it is presented by veteran radio announcer, and stage, television and movie actor, Bon Vibar.

Background

Created by the Cádiz Press Association (or Asociación de la Prensa de Cádiz, APC) as part of the "Cádiz 2012" project, the show is primarily targeted at Filipino listeners who can speak and understand Spanish. The program is a mixture of cultural, informative and educational reviews of various topics ranging from literature to cinema to history to geography to cuisine, all interspersed with traditional and modern music sung in Spanish. It aims to promote Filipino culture and its ties with Spain, the empire that ruled the nation for 333 years. It also commemorates the bicentenary of the Constitution of Spain of 1812, which was promulgated by the Cádiz Cortes.

The show was first broadcast in March 2007. There are no commercials during each episode as the show is fully-funded by APC and the Government of Andalucia, Spain until March 1, 2009.

Development Aid

Unknown to many, the show is just one of three components that make up a development project called "Proyecto de Cooperación Radio Manila (La Voz de Manila)", or "Radyo Manila Development Project" of APC. It is produced in coordination with Manila-based Fundación Santiago, a Filipino organization established and registered in 1993 that advocates cultural diversity and integration by promoting and sustaining historical awareness. Its first component, a scholarship program called "Curso Teórico-Práctico del Periodismo Radiofónico", is targeted to develop the skills of Filipino mass media practitioners and students. It runs for two years, from March 19, 2007 to March 1, 2009, and is divided into four semesters, each lasting six months, or a credit of 432 hours. In essence, the radio show "Filipinas, Ahora Mismo", the project's second component, creates a venue for the apprenticeship of the scholars who act as production staff, writers, translators, and segment hosts, a study-work setup called "Inserción Laboral de Profesionales del Periodismo". The third component of the project is the development of the facilities of the Bureau of Broadcast Services (BBS). The broadcasting and office equipments, donated by Canal Sur (RTVA) and Axon, were released in June 2008 in the middle of the show's third season.

Training

The training is conducted by members of APC in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes in Manila. The one-week training, dubbed "Curso de Radiodifusión en Español", or "Radio Broadcasting in Spanish Course", serves as an intensive 15-hour workshop for applicants who are pre-screened based on language and vocal skills. In those sessions, the participants are introduced to the world of radio broadcasting, where they perform several exercises to prepare them for a possible stint in the radio. Similar to popular talent reality shows on television such as "American Idol" and "Pinoy Dream Academy", there is an elimination process that culminates in the selection of the top four participants who are granted the six-month scholarship program after careful deliberation among the project coordinators. The chosen scholars then become part of the production staff of the radio program "Filipinas, Ahora Mismo".

cholarship

Each scholar receives a monthly allowance of 420 euros. A scholar may only be granted a scholarship once and it may not be renewed. Thus, there are no repeaters in the course of the original two-year program. At the end of the semester, a formal graduation ceremony is held, still at the Instituto Cervantes, where the coordinators also announce the names of the new batch of scholars who will carry on with the radio program for its new season. Upon graduation, the scholars will be awarded a certificate of completion in "Curso Teórico-Práctico del Periodismo Radiofónico" from Spain.

ponsors

Aside from APC, the BBS, Fundación Santiago, and Instituto Cervantes, "Filipinas, Ahora Mismo" is also sponsored by the Junta de Andalucía, Diputación de Cádiz, and the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional of the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación of Spain.

Broadcast Information

The show is pre-taped a week before the actual broadcast, and airs daily from 7:00pm to 8:00pm (UTC+8) on DZRM Radyo Manila 1278 Khz. The recording is done every Tuesdays and Thursdays (Mondays and Wednesdays in Season One) at the BBS Drama Studio I, located at the Philippine Information Agency building in Quezon City in the nation's capital region, Metro Manila. Bon Vibar is the "voice" of the program.

Presently, it runs in syndication and is broadcast simultaneously on several AM radio stations in the Philippines where there is a considerable number of Spanish-speakers: Mega Manila, Iloilo, Laoag, Naga, Zamboanga, and Cebu. For international listeners, the show streams live on the web through the website of APC. Future plans of the program's creators include broadcasting it through DWBR Business Radio 104.3 Mhz on the FM band and a possible expansion to a television adaptation and/or webcast after the original two-year contract.

Companion Show

"Las Riquezas de España", or "The Richness of Spain" is a 45-minute companion program of "Filipinas, Ahora Mismo" and airs every Saturdays, 7:15pm to 8:00pm (UTC+8) on DWBR Business Radio 104.3 MHz. It showcases the rich culture and legacy of Spain through various reviews of sights, sounds, and trivia. Bon Vibar also hosts this show, but the scholars do not appear in it. The scholars, however, still act as translators for the show.

eason One

Spanish radio presenter Carlos Juan Juan from Onda Zero was the first representative of APC to train the pioneer batch of scholars from the Philippines. He also recorded the official introduction of the show in Spanish, while the Tagalog version was done by Evelyn Ágato of BBS. Both versions are still used to introduce each episode. Vibar recorded the program I.D.

The Scholars

* Vilma Kilapkilap
* Theresa José
* Elpidio Paligutan
* Camille Tan

egments

* "Película" -- Movie review
* "Literatura" -- Literature
* "Geografía" -- Geography
* "Historia" -- History
* "Gastronomía" -- Cuisine

Season One had fewer segments than subsequent seasons, and each section was given a longer airtime.

Fundación Santiago executive director José Ricardo "Chaco" Molina was the original coordinator and initial anchor of the show, and he was part of the first few episodes. Christine Cruz Rávago then took over as project manager on behalf of Molina, and Vibar was chosen as main host. Molina's voice is still heard on the program introducing some of the segments and remains as its editorial director. Kilapkilap was not part of the training class nor original line-up of scholars and broadcast team, as she was chosen as replacement when one of the original scholars was not able to continue with the project, and she only worked as a behind-the-scenes translator. Paligutan was on-air for a few episodes, and later also opted to focus on the translation of the scripts. Tan acted as main musical director, while José was overall-in-charge of production for most of the episodes. José also guested once on "Riquezas de España".

eason Two

Training was conducted from August 27 to September 1, 2007 by famous radio and television personality from Cádiz, Begoña Lucena, who also guested on "Filipinas, Ahora Mismo" as segment host in a few episodes.

The Scholars

* Armis Obeña Bajar
* María Mendoza
* Mónica Rodriguez
* Mark Jason Villa

egments

* "De Película" -- Movie review
* "¿Sabias Qué?" -- Trivia
* "Vamos a Leer" -- Literature
* "Tu Salud al Día" -- Health
* "De Isla en Isla" -- Geography
* "Aprendemos Español" -- Spanish tutorial on air
* "Camino de Cádiz" -- Constitution of Cádiz
* "Ventana al Pasado" -- History
* "Dichos y Refranes" -- Philippine folk wisdom
* "Mundo Mujer" -- Women's issues
* "Fogón de María" -- Cuisine
* "Deportes" -- Sports

After a thorough assessment involving all the project heads and coordinators, the show underwent a major restructuring during this period, and the current segments were established. Some of the changes included shortening the sections and expanding the scope of the program. Covering various topics, the one-hour program was divided into 12 segments. The scholars were also given an option to interview personalities outside the studio, which were edited in during taping. Because of these innovations, there was a need to record new segment introductions, for which Molina's and Rodriguez's voices were used. The program also premiered in Zamboanga City after its launching on September 6, 2007, with Lucena and Molina as project representatives.

eason Three

The third season staff was formally announced on March 1, 2008 and began production three days later. They aired their first show on March 10, 2008, when the main presenter introduced to the public the new segment hosts who were selected from the workshop held from February 25 to 29, 2008. The new batch was again trained by Juan, who returned as trainer from Season One. Rávago is still the project coordinator, as well as anchor for the trivia section "¿Sabias Qué?".

The Scholars

* Richard Allan Aquino - "De Película" & "Camino de Cádiz"
* José Juan Ramirez de Cartagena - "Vamos a Leer", "Ventana al Pasado" & "Fogón de María"
* Fernando Gómez de Liaño - "De Isla en Isla", "Dichos y Refranes" & "Deportes"
* Stephanie Palallos - "Tu Sal al Día" & "Mundo Mujer"

egments

* "De Película" -- Movie review
* "¿Sabias Qué?" -- Trivia
* "Vamos a Leer" -- Literature
* "Tu Salud al Día" -- Health
* "De Isla en Isla" -- Geography
* "Aprendemos Español" -- Spanish tutorial on air
* "Camino de Cádiz" -- Constitution of Cádiz
* "Ventana al Pasado" -- History
* "Dichos y Refranes" -- Philippine folk wisdom
* "Mundo Mujer" -- Women's issues
* "Fogón de María" -- Cuisine
* "Deportes" -- Sports

This season marked the launching of the show in Cebu City on March 14, 2008. While the show kept the format of the second season, a slight change was made in that the section "Aprendemos Español" was now to be hosted by the scholar on the days which he/she translated and musical-directed. Juan acted as guest presenter on two episodes of "Filipinas, Ahora Mismo" and once on "Riquezas de España". He also performed as guest segment host on several occasions during the first two weeks of the season. Vibar re-recorded the program I.D. to reflect recent changes.

Nap Labao, one of the three technicians from DZRM assigned to the project for a year, passed away on March 23, 2008. The March 31, 2008 broadcast announced this news, as the immediate episode following his passing (March 24, 2008) had already been taped and distributed.

The scholars also campaigned for the show in various Hispanic restaurants and establishments around Metro Manila to promote the program.

eason Four

The fourth (and currently scheduled final) season will commence on September 1, 2008, when the scholars of the previous batch will have graduated. APC's José Lorenzo Benitez is slated to conduct the training for the last batch of scholars from August 26 to 29. The new set of hosts was introduced in the September 8, 2008 broadcast. The program is scheduled to end on March 2009 when the fourth season airs its final episode.

A new segment is expected to debut this season. Called "Voces", which means "voices" in English, the new section will include regular interviews featuring Spanish-speaking personalities in the Philippines. The previous seasons also featured several interviews in various segments, although not regularly. For this new segment's recorded introduction, Ramirez de Cartagena's voice was used.

The Scholars

* Javier Escat
* Cheryll Ruth "Lot" Ramirez
* Marlon James Sales
* Carmen Tejada

Production Staff

* Executive Director - José Ricardo Molina (Fundación Santiago)
* Project Manager - Christine Cruz Rávago
* Project Coordinator - Evelyn Ágato (BBS)
* Translators/Music Supervisors - The Scholars
* Scriptwriters/Researchers - BBS Staff
* Technical Directors - Meynard de la Cruz, Julius Ungab
* Technical Support - Bert Espinosa, Noriel Pineda, Nap Labao^† (DZRM)

External links

* Asociación de la Prensa de Cádiz - http://www.prensacadiz.org
* Instituto Cervantes de Manila - http://manila.cervantes.es
* Philippine Information Agency - http://www.pia.gov.ph
* Cádiz 2012 - http://www.bicentenario2012.org

ee Also

"List of Filipinas, Ahora Mismo hosts"