Dear Friends and Family,

Thanks to the kind assistance of an old friend Pepper Marcelo who executive produced and co-edited, and his girlfriend Astrid Tobias who co-wrote Balay Daku, were very instrumental in pushing me to make that film and go through the experience. I am forever grateful to them both ...

... Just like old times (old? it's only been a little more than three years, but it feels like a long time ago) with Balay Daku, the ten minute version of the first film in the BUNKER series on the Guimaras Oil Spill was edited at Pepper's apartment in Quezon City for three straight days.

And of course it has to be another film where I have to subtitle Ilonggo in English that I return to Pepper's.

Funny in a cosmic convergence way.

I submitted the ten minute film at the IFC (Independent Filmmakers' Cooperative) office at Kamias Road, Quezon City just this morning.

Pepper dropped me off at Kamias on his way to work and I walked to their office.

So now there are currently 3 different first films:

The 4 minuter- BUNKER 0

The 6 minuter- BUNKER 0: Sumirib (co-produced by my cousin Anthony Velez)

and the 10 minute- BUNKER 0: Sumirib Plus (co-produced by my cousin and Pepper)

All basically having similar shot selections, but perhaps different in tone and feel and sequence.

I can't tell anymore after watching them each for the umpteenth time.

We'll see how it goes at the premiere on Friday, October 13, 7:30 pm at Robinson's Galleria Cinema 1 THX.

NOTE: REGULAR SCREENING OF THE SHORTS WILL BE ON NOVEMBER 18 AND 19 (NOT October 14 and 15 as previously announced).

Other activities for this Friday include:

2:00 pm From Tragedy to Strategy: A Dialogue

The future of the Guimaras is darker than the oil on its shores. It is high time for a public forum on a clear action plan for Guimaras.

There is a need to hold a venue for dialogue between the national and local government, civil society groups, Petron Corporation and Sunshine Maritime.

The forum will draw up an action plan for awareness and education, rehabilitation and prevention of future environmental tragedies brought about by oil spills and marine pollution.

Panelists will be representatives from the local government of Guimaras, Petron Corporation, the environment and the legal sector and other stakeholders.

Resource speakers will include government agencies concerned, and the nationally mandated Task Force Guimaras. NGOs and aid agencies, which can assist in coastal resource management, livelihood, environmental education, toxic and hazardous waste management, biodiversity conservation, public health management, alternative livelihoods, community development, relief assistance and aid, etc, will also be invited.

The festival is organized by the Independent Filmmakers Cooperative of the Philippines and Robinsons Movieworld, featuring the country's top independent filmmakers.

It has collaborated with the Center for Environmental Awareness and Education, a non-profit organization that promotes environmental education initiatives in the country, for the Guimaras Forum.

CEAE holds the annual Moonrise Film Festival, a documentary film festival about Philippine environment and culture as part its efforts in fast-tracking environmental awareness through film and media.

The forum and the short films hope to be a first step in advancing action-oriented awareness about one of the gravest environmental tragedies of the country.

6:00 pm Opening of Greenpeace Photo Exhibit

With regards to the censorship row, I've been contacted by ABC 5 for a possible meeting today together with representatives of IFC for today, Wednesday, October 11, but due to schedule constraints (and understandable fatigue and heightened emotions mostly on my part) we're moving the meeting to this Monday, October 16 (one day before I turn 28 years old.)

I've already spent most of my anger, expletives and a lot of tears (man crying felt good and terrible at the same time) and what comes over me is this tension mixed with a kind of calm detachment, but of course the emotions still spill over (no pun intended) on occasion.

And I'm also just so tired from staying up the last few days editing the 10 minuter, the initial stress of the censorship, and still getting distracted in-between or during editing by this issue.

I will still speak my speak this Friday at the premiere, but with a cooler head and calmer soul hopefully.

I'm not backing down. I'm still dancing.

For those of you have ANC or the Filipino channel, on your television sets, I will be with Dennis Marasigan, IFCP treasurer, and Milo Paz coop member and Guimaras short filmmaker to discuss our cooperative and our project: Guimaras: Short Films for the Oil Spill on the:

ANC Morning Show
8:30-11 am (Philippine time)

Our interview segment will be at 10:30 am.

Tomorrow, October 12, Thursday

(I'll be discussing the film project more.)

And I can also talk about what happened with the censorship if I wish.

I haven't decided on that yet. Or I haven't found the right way to talk about it yet.

Thank you again.

More on this as it develops or as it hopefully gets RESOLVED in the RIGHT way and NOT in the WHITE-WASHED UNDER THE RUG WAY.

Thank you all for your kind words, concern and prayers for all of us involved. Please continue to pray.

Trying to stay true
With love,

JP Carpio