Immigration Talks: Bureau of Immigration to launch 6-month tourist visa next week

Photo source: www.internations.org

MANILA, Philippines—Foreign visitors who want to extend their vacation in the Philippines may now do so without the usual hassles.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Tuesday that foreigners who would like to stay longer in the country, could avail of a six-month, long-stay tourist visa from the agency. The program is set to be formally launched next week, according to the BI.

In a statement, Immigration Commissioner also announced that the bureau would introduce the new visa sticker to replace the wet stamp it was using to implement extensions of stay on the passports of foreign tourists.

The Long Stay Visitor Visa Extension (LSVVE) project was launched to draw more international travelers into the country by giving them the privilege to prolong their stay in the country without the need to frequently visit the BI office to process their documents.

Currently, the bureau allows foreign tourists a maximum stay of two months in the country each time they apply for visa extensions.

“Through this long-stay visa, we [also] expect lesser crowding in our offices due to the decreased volume of visa extension applicants,” stated David.

On the other hand, the new visa sticker will help the bureau prevent the proliferation of fake visa extension stamps, which have victimized many foreigners, added the BI chief, who noted that the new sticker would have security and tracking features that could not be duplicated.

“It will also speed up transactions in our visa section, allow more efficient tracking records and faster detection of forged and tampered stamps,” said David.

He disclosed that new measures being implemented by the bureau were initiated following meetings with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Foreign Affairs on policy reforms that could help the government draw more international tourists to the country.

For this year, the DOT is aiming to increase the volume of tourist arrivals to 5.5 million and double this figure by the end of the Aquino Administration in 2016.

*news source: pdi

Arts and Culture: Isabelle Huppert Retrospective at CCP

The Cultural Center of the Philippines in cooperation with the Embassy of France present a retrospective of films starring Isabelle Huppert, the much awarded French actress considered among the finest of her generation, on June 19 and 26 at the Tanghalang Manuel Conde.

Five films topbilled by Huppert will be shown at the CCP, namely Sauve qui peut (La Vie) by Jean Luc Godard (1979), Loulou by Maurice Pialat 91980), Une Affaire de Femmes (Story of Women) by Claude Chabrol (1988), La Ceremonie (The Ceremony) by Claude Chabrol (1995) and White Material by Claire Denis (2009). 

Huppert, according to allmovie.com, is “one of the most enduring and respected actresses in French cinema, is known for her versatile portrayals of characters ranging from the innocent to the sultry to the comic. Born March 16, 1955, in Paris, Huppert graduated from the Paris Conservatoire d'Art Dramatique and made her first film, Faustine et le bel été, when she was 16. Her career accelerated rapidly, and she soon found work with such acclaimed directors as Bertrand Blier, with whom she made Les valseuses (1974), a film also notable for making a star out of Gérard Depardieu; Otto Preminger, for whom she appeared in Rosebud (1975); and Claude Chabrol, with whom she would make a series of films, starting with 1978's Violette Nozière, for which she won a Best Female Performance award at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival. Also in 1978, she won a British Academy Award for Best Newcomer for her role in La dentellière (The Lacemaker).” 

She won another Best Actress Award at the Cannes Festival for her role as the sexually repressed and self-destructive piano teacher in director Michael Haneke's confrontational drama The Piano Teacher (2001). 

Huppert is regarded as an institution in her native France. A special photo exhibit on Huppert, courtesy of Institut Francaise, will complement the film retrospective. 

Screening schedule is as follows: June 19 - Sauve Qui Peut (La Vie) at 4 p.m. and Loulou at 7 p.m. and June 26 - Une Affaire de Femmes (Story of Women) at 1 p.m., La Ceremonie (The Ceremony) at 4 p.m. and White Material at 7 p.m. 

All screenings are free and seating will be on a first come first served basis.

Contact Details:

For more information, call CCP Media Arts at (63 2) 832-1125 locals 1702 and 1704.

Celebrity Tips on How to Rock your Little White Dress

From left to right -  Julianne Moore created a trendy black-and-white pairing in a white lace Dolce & Gabbana dress and black strappy Tabitha Simmons sandals at the Carrie photocall in Cancun, Mexico; At the 2013 Principales Awards in Madrid, Spain, Taylor Swift was sultry in her white beaded Kaufmanfranco dress and Christian Louboutin platform sandals; Amy Smart enjoyed a warm day out in LA in a plunging white halter dress, navy peep-toes, and a brown leather shoulder bag. We love the gold hardware on the waist of the dress; and At the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC, Kate Hudson showed the sexier side of turtlenecks in a white Jenny Packham sweater dress and matching Casadei pumps.

From left to right - Julianne Hough wore head-to-toe Calvin Klein Collection at the 2013 Joyful Heart Foundation Gala in NYC. She paired a white fit-and-flare dress with black ankle-strap sandals and a white structured bag, resulting in a retro-chic vibe; Olivia Munn was flirty yet chic in a plunging white J. Mendel dress and two-toned Manolo Blahnik ankle-strap pumps at PaleyFest in Beverly Hills; Joan Smalls gave a nod to a Grecian style in her little white plunging dress and chain-detailed sandals at an event in NYC; and Georgia May Jagger attended Sunglass Hut's celebration of Mother's Day in NYC in a masterful pairing: a white lace-detailed dress with strappy leopard sandals.

From left to right - At the H&M Fall 2013 fashion show in Paris, Emma Roberts was pretty in a white fit-and-flare dress, a yellow clutch, and white Christian Louboutin pumps; Kristen Wiig was playful in a white Saint Laurent t-shirt dress, gray suede pumps, and a two-toned envelope clutch at the Costume Designers Guild Awards in Beverly Hills; Naomi Watts sat front row at the Louis Vuitton Fall 2013 show in Paris in a mod white dress with cute pocket details, completed with black pumps, a white coat, and a minty Louis Vuitton bag; and Paz Vega shimmered in her white metallic dress at the Pain & Gain premiere in LA. A red quilted clutch, matching lips, and nude peep-toes added a hint of color.

From left to right - Camila Alves was all elegance in a white lace dress and nude patent peep-toes at a Macy's appearance in Miami; Katharine McPhee attended the Alice + Olivia Fall 2013 presentation in NYC wearing a white peplum dress by the label, complete with cool black booties; Jennifer Lawrence's stark white strapless Chloé dress stood out against a dark background at an Academy Awards nominee luncheon in Beverly Hills. Black satin pumps lent a classic finish; and Jamie Chung's white sleeveless dress found a perfect match in her Jimmy Choo clutch and gold metallic ankle-strap sandals at an event in New Orleans.

From left to right - At the HBO premiere of The Battle of AmfAR, Nicole Trunfio's white one-shouldered dress featured an asymmetrical hemline that gave it a unique twist. Her black cutout booties lent further edge;   While out in NYC, Emilia Clarke's little white dress took on a tough-chick attitude, thanks to her black leather biker jacket and black caged booties; Chrissy Teigen took the sexy menswear approach in a white tuxedo dress at an event in NYC. She pulled in a dose of shine with a gold glitter clutch, matching strappy sandals, and gold drop earrings; and Amber Valletta attended a Mother's Day luncheon in Beverly Hills in a crisp little white dress with two slits: one the bodice and one on the skirt. She added further spunk via a metallic clutch and two-toned caged sandals.

Arts and Culture: Superdynamism by Eric Tabuena

 A style that incorporates the qualities of action painting and line drawing. Each complements the other to form a flexible visual language that easily transcends boundaries. 

At one point highbrow suddenly shifts to lowbrow and effortlessly crosses the line to abstraction. The next moment invades surrealism and blends everything together.

“Escapes rational definition; boggles the mind and alienates.” This is Superdynamism in progress. Superdynamism uses all the elements and energy of various art forms, blending these disciplines seamlessly into a new and energized fluid form. 

Superdynamism revolves around the creative power of every particular style, taking bits and pieces to form a Superdynamic aesthetic expression. It’s all about non conformity. It does not depend on a coordinated and predictable system. Old models are discarded and a new order of reality rules. 

Superdynamism is a new way of accepting a semblance or illusion of visible reality. It is an art form that resists being a captive of a time period or era.

Superdynamism is characterized by stimulating unpredictability and controlled chaos.

Superdynamism is multi-layered in terms of technique and execution. Confronts the spectator on different levels of perception - part-objective and part-non-objective. It’s like looking at an abrupt abstraction but then realizing something real and tangible.

Superdynamism is dark. Superdynamism is light. Superdynamism is emotional, mysterious and whimsical. It can be positive and negative or black and white. It’s contradictory and orderly, chaotic and systematic. It allows conventional perception to fluctuate into inconclusive assumptions. It causes imagination and reason to contradict and collide leaving the mind of the viewer with a lot more to ponder and assume.

Superdynamism is flat and multi-dimensional; possesses energy beyond limits.
Superdynamism transcends many disciplines without changing its methodical technique.
Superdynamism is a new visual language. It is never still, always moving, always evolving.

Contact Details:
For more details, please call (63 2) 828-4774 loc 130.

Location

The Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences
119 LP Leviste St., Salcedo
Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines

Arts and Culture: 27th Asian International Art Exhibition (AIAE) Homecoming Show

Ayala Museum will be hosting the 27th Asian International Art Exhibition (AIAE) Homecoming Show at its Ground Floor Gallery from 4 June to 7 July, 2013.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Philippine’s participation in the annual AIAE, represented by the country’s most distinguished contemporary visual artists. The international affair was hosted by the Rajchadamnern Contemporary Art Center, Bangkok, Thailand from 19 January to 30 March, 2013. 

“Asian Soil” is the thematic focus of this year’s exhibition, which touches on idioms and concepts such as shared roots, origins and creation, territory, and identity. 

The collective of participating Filipino artists include Ambie Abaño, Pandy Aviado, National Artist Benedicto "BenCab" Cabrera, Ferdinand Cacnio, Marina Cruz, Vincent de Pio, Janos Delacruz, Aileen Lanuza, Nemi Miranda, Raffy Napay, Ramon Orlina, Susan Fetalvero-Roces, Eghai Roxas, Don Salubayba and Rodel Tapaya.

Contact Details:

For more information, please email: museum_inquiry@ayalamuseum.org.

Ayala Museum

Makati Avenue corner De La Rosa St., Greenbelt Park, Ayala Center

Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines