WELLNESS IN ENVIRONMENT: Philippine fishery talks move to formal level. Taiwan and the Philippines are currently holding their first formal fishery talks in decades, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The goal of the talks, which began on Monday in Taipei, is to discuss the implementation of proposals made at a previous meeting in June on maintaining order in the waters where the two countries’ exclusive economic zones overlap, ministry spokesperson Anna Kao (高安) confirmed. “We also hope to further implement a consensus reached during the preparatory meeting and establish institutionalized negotiations,” she said.--Taipei Times

Philippine fishery talks move to formal level - Taipei Times: "Despite being pressed by the media, Kao declined to provide further details on the talks’ agenda, the officials who are heading the discussions and whether a joint statement will be issued after the talks. “The talks are ongoing,” she said. “We’ll reveal related details after the talks are completed.” The June 14 meeting, which was billed as a “preparatory” talk, came in response to an incident on May 9 in which a Philippine Coast Guard personnel opened fire on a Taiwanese fishing boat in the two countries’ overlapping maritime territories. The incident left 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成) dead and triggered a diplomatic standoff that lasted until early August. One of Taiwan’s conditions for ending the stalemate was to open talks on ensuring a safe environment in which fishermen from both sides can operate."

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Wellness in Arts: Philippine Opera Company’s ‘Ang Bagong Harana’ returns onstage. Due to insistent public demand, Philippine Opera Company’s Ang Bagong Harana returns on stage on Oct. 11 to 20 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City. Ang Bagong Harana takes off from the success of Philippine Opera Company’s musical revue “Harana.” Harana is a Tagalog word that connotes a traditional form of courtship in which a man woos a woman’s affection by singing love songs. The harana or kundiman became a mainstream musical style with veteran performers, namely Diomedes Maturan and Ruben Tagalog, popularizing it until the late ‘60s. Unfortunately, with the advent of newer music genres, “harana” has been left behind. Today, the young generation may not even know its real essence as far as Filipino folk traditions are concerned because they are more drawn to western influences. This is the reason why the Philippine Opera Company brings back Ang Bagong Harana. “We need to remind ourselves of how beautiful our music is and how much our souls can be enriched by hearing these songs sung again,” said Karla Gutierrez, artistic director. “

Philippine Opera Company’s ‘Ang Bagong Harana’ returns onstage | Arts and Culture, Lifestyle Features, The Philippine Star | philstar.com: "“Ang Bagong Harana is a must-see production for every Filipino because it represents the very best that we, the Filipino race, can be. The show is an effective way of communicating our greatness as a nation. This will be a musical treat for foreigners, too!” Karla added.

Ang Bagong Harana will feature Philippine theater’s celebrated singers — Karla Gutierrez, Aizel Prietos, Cris Go, Janine Santos, KL Dizon, Lawrence Jatayna, Michael Odoemene, Nazer Salcedo, Al Gatmaitan, Jurgen Unterberg with the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group.

Directed by Floy Quintos, Ang Bagong Harana will have a limited run on Oct. 12, 18, 19 at 8 p.m. with matinees on Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 20."

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