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Focus on the Global South-Philippines held contract signing with the grantees for its EDSA Mo, EDSA Ko video grant initiative August 18 at Café Via Mare, Asian Studies Center in UP Diliman. Each grantee is entitled to a seed fund to produce the film proposal submitted to and chosen by Focus on the Global South.  The winning applicants are : Eva Aurora Callueng (Women’s category); Angela Garrido (Women’s category); Andrea Regine Reyes and her team members Vianca Baliao, Mia Sinaguinan, Marge Calingo, Desiree Carillo, JJ Collins, Jam Tuazon, Therese Umali, Randy Valdez, Christa Balonkita from Miriam College (Youth category); and Eloisa Sanchez with Richard Legaspi, Seymour Sanchez and Hubert Tibi for the Open category. Jenina Joy Chavez, head of Focus on the Global South-Philippines, signed on the agreements on behalf of the organization.

Akbayan Representative Walden Bello, member of the EDSA Stories Editorial Board, graced the activity and handed to the grantees their checks; Deputy House Speaker Erin Tañada’s chief of staff Jessica Cantos handed the contracts as Tañada’s representative to the affair.  Present also in the affair were Editorial Board members Jenina Joy Chavez, Philippine Country Coordinator of Focus, and Lisandro Claudio, history professor and chair of Akbayan youth. The other Board members are Dr. Francisco Nemenzo, Dr. Rosalinda Ofreneo and Victoria Tinio.

Focus launched this video grant initiative in February this year as part of its EDSA Stories Project to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power as well as to create a platform for continuously remembering, re-imagining and finding meaning in the three historic EDSA events, as it constantly promotes spaces for people’s political participation and active citizenship. A film festival showcasing the films of the grantees and Focus’ own documentary film will cap the 2011 video grant initiative in December.