Christian Bables’ ‘Big Night’ role was draining in all aspects  

It was two weeks before the lockdown when Christian Bables started filming for “Big Night,” one of the entries to the 2021 Metro Manila Film Festival, so there were no protocols that needed to be followed.

But his next film projects were done when lockdown was already enforced so they needed to be in a lock-in set-up. “From an actor’s point of view, that is better because you are locked in with your character. You are fully immersed with your role. There is no need to shake it off when you get home,” the award-winning actor shared.

He feels happy and blessed that “Big Night”, which he described as a Jun Lana masterpiece, was chosen as a festival entry.

Christian plays the role of a gay beautician named Dharna who had the misfortune of having his name included in the drug watch list. He only has a day to clear his name.

“The challenge for me is how I will put myself in that situation. As an actor, the role is emotionally, physically and mentally draining. It is difficult to be in that situation,” said Christian.

“It’s difficult to portray in the sense that what Dharna is going through is far from what I have experienced in real life. Dharna’s world is complicated, painful and hurts deep inside. That’s what I needed to carry within me as I portrayed it.”

But with the help of Direk Jun, he was able to give his best. In fact, the filmmaker believes he has a good chance of winning Best Actor.

Aside from promoting “Big Night,” Christian is also inviting the public to visit his restaurant Parilla Est. 2020 located at176 Maginhawa Street, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City. Delicious barbecue is the specialty of the resto that is open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm.

****

Insular Life’s (InLife) First Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Gwendolyn D. Kelley was recently hailed as one of the 2021 CIO75 ASEAN, the leading awards program for technology leaders in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

The CIO75 recognizes the top 75 senior technology executives driving innovation, strengthening resilience, and influencing rapid change across the region. This year, the CIO75, one of International Data Group’s global awards programs, received more than 150 nominations over 20 industry sectors and eight markets which included Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Myanmar.

Kelley is one of only six Philippine-based CIOs (Chief Information Officer) who received the award. She was recognized for her work in actively pursuing InLife’s digital transformation which enabled the company to provide exceptional customer experience, improve operational efficiency and achieve growth and reach during the pandemic through the help of low-code platform OutSystems.

This resulted in faster delivery of digital solutions which include firsts in industry innovations: an e-licensing application that automates the financial advisors’ licensing journey & connects to the Insurance Commission’s licensing portal; Compass, a mobile app which empowers our financial advisors to perform their sales activities digitally; seamless payment journeys through the InLife Pay Link facility which allows customers to pay for their premiums using their mobile phones directed to a secure platform; an automated, paperless payment process improving internal operational efficiency – which all proved crucial during the strictest community quarantine periods. There are other initiatives in the pipeline which aim to improve customer reach and strengthen the company’s resilience.

Kelley also influences the organization in the adoption of an agile culture and improving the digital dexterity of InLifers.  Internal and external training programs are offered to all employees to improve skills and mindsets on customer experience, continuous improvement, scrum framework, DevSecOps and low code programming, among others.

Through her leadership, InLife also established a Digital Employee Initiative (DEI) program that has exposed employees to new technology and digital skills needed to thrive both professionally and personally. The vision is to create Citizen Developers, a community of like-minded employees outside of IT who are supported with training and assistance on developing automated processes.

“Enormous credit to the market-leading CIOs continuing to press ahead in innovating at pace – despite the notable difficulties – which once again demonstrates the depth of transformation taking place across the region. Congratulations, Ms. Gwendolyn Kelly, nothing can stop your pursuit of excellence,” said James Henderson, Editorial Director of Asia Pacific at CIO. “CIO75 is not only a true representation of the regional market but a true illustration of the outstanding achievements delivered by individuals, wider teams and entire organizations.”

The CIO75 ASEAN winners were unveiled during a virtual ceremony attended by over 300 technology executives from across the region. They were judged on the core pillars of innovation and leadership, honoring transformational, inspiring, and enduring CIOs at both in-country and regional levels within Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.