Third-year Multimedia Arts majors from Lyceum of the Philippines University Manila emerged victorious at the 6th Rotary PSA Festival after three years of landing as semifinalists in the annual competition of public service announcements geared towards Rotary International’s Areas of Focus.
LPU Manila barged into the win column after MMA student Hazel L. Ampon placed third in the 30-second video-making contest designed to create and promote awareness about the Rotary’s efforts. Her animated PSA “Primary Lines” illustrates the boundaries set by the lack of education in the Philippines.
“The concept was greatly inspired by optical illusions on lined paper, which eventually developed the idea of something or someone existing on the other side. The primary lined paper then became the symbol for basic education as it is used early in the elementary stage of education,” Ampon explained.
“I wanted to emphasize the reality that not every child has access to quality education, which deprives them of their growth and development. And so, using the lines as cage bars construes that the lack of basic education limits the child to the better life that they deserve,” she added.
On the other hand, fellow LPU MMA major Roniel Justine T. Sañez’s entry “ApoliPOLIO” won a special award in highlighting the Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign.
“This certain issue regarding one of the latest movies asking why Mabini is always sitting in the movie triggered me and made me think on how I can introduce him again and also to help on how to gain knowledge about polio,” Sañez revealed.
In addition to the two winners, five other PSAs from LPU MMA students, namely “A Mother’s Love” by Eunize-Anne D. Dalena, “Bawas ang Bukas” by Aaliyah Frances Damilig, “Folds” by Aina Zarinah E. Dela Cuadra, “Hashi” by Earl Lance C. Sta. Maria and Marie Nicole Domingo, and “Paano Naman Sila?” by Ron Vincent R. Dumalay were declared semifinalists.
Ampon brought home 10,000 pesos while Sañez bagged 5,000 pesos. The seven entries from LPU Manila also received 2,000 pesos each for being semifinalists.
The Rotary Club of Circuit Makati has been organizing the event since 2017. Three semifinalists were chosen for each of the seven Rotary Areas of Focus, namely Peace and Conflict Prevention and Resolution, Supporting Environment, Water and Sanitation, Maternal and Child Health, Economic and Community Development, Disease Prevention and Treatment, and Basic Education and Literacy, and a special category on End Polio Now.
In 2021, LPU MMA students Eunice Angelica G. San Juan’s “Boto Para sa Pagbabago” (Vote for Change), Mark Wilson S. Catindig’s “Kain-Basura” (Food for Trash), Dan Enrico P. Picardal’s “Billiards,” Rikki Lou Bonifacio’s “Laro Tayo, Resiklo” (Let’s Play, Recycle) and Venus Mariel Orbon’s and Lovely Rose Veroya’s “Hide and Seek” made it as semifinalists among 355 submissions from 27 different schools nationwide.
In 2020, recent LPU MMA graduates Ashley Cordero’s “Alone,” Francis Alba’s “Mother Tongue,” Austin Banaag’s “TULOy Tuloy,” and Rochelle Philippe Jedidah Urag’s and James Nadora’s “Ang Ating Gubat” (Our Forest) were selected as semifinalists in the contest. In 2019, “Coindolence” by LPU Broadcasting majors’ Uno Productions entered the semis under the Economic and Community Development category.
