After being asked a few times, Fashion Designer Pia Gladys Perey finally debuted her first runway show for 2013 Fashion Week in Los Angeles last month. Perhaps the timing never felt right until this year and it’s just a sign of the growing popularity of her brand, Pia Gladys Perey. She explains, “I have expanded my label and want to see how people from the US will react to my label. It’s very exciting and am very much looking forward to getting into the US market.”
The art of film and television was introduced to the Philippines in the late 1890′s and although this is the youngest of the Philippine arts , it has developed into the most popular. Because of its appeal, the Philippine Entertainment Industry appears to be growing larger every year. And when we say large, we mean it. With new faces popping up everyday, it would take a very long time to name all of the young and rising Filipina Actresses currently gracing the screen.
We decided to take a different approach. Yes, there are many Filipina actresses, but who are the ones we consider timeless? Who are the leading ladies we can watch years from now and still find ourselves mesmerized by? Who’s performances bring us to tears? In honor of Women’s History Month, we present to you the Ten Timeless Filipina Actresses:
Regardless of your sexual orientation or even if you don’t believe in marriage – a beautiful wedding is still a beautiful wedding.
John and Paolo get married in Northern Luzon. To this day, same-sex marriage is still not legally recognized in the Philippines.
What if you were wrongfully accused for a crime you did not commit, and you have exhausted every possible means to clear your name, but to no avail? This is the story that filmmakers Marty Syjunco and Michael Collins tell in their award-winning documentary, Give Up Tomorrow, based on the story of Paco Larrañaga.
A riveting tale (no matter whose “side” you find yourself on), Give Up Tomorrow is a gloriously produced film, bringing the relatively unknown story of Paco and the Chiong sisters to light. Receiving praise from numerous film festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, Give Up Tomorrow is a must-see.
Get an insight into the makings behind the film in our interview with one of the film’s makers, Marty Syjuco.
A packed Hollywood Bowl celebrated Filipino culture on July 8 at a concert curated by Black Eyed Peas member Apl.de.ap. The show featured traditional and modern dance, Original Philippine Music, and hits by contemporary Filipino artists. Fellow Black Eyed Peas members will.i.am and Taboo joined Apl.de.ap to perform some of their group’s chart-topping songs and celebrate this historic night.
Taboo, will.i.am and Apl.de.ap performs at the Apl.de.ap Takes You to the Philippines – A Celebration of Global Filipino Music which took place at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, July 8, 2012. Photo Credit: Craig T. Mathew-Mathew Imaging
Nowadays, it’s no longer the homeless that stay in humble abodes made of recycled materials. In fact, buildings made out of recycled material are very hippie chic, like the first bottle school in San Pablo, Philippines completed this spring.
It may be a bit early for awards season, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is hard at work narrowing down its film nominations. Among them is the docu-drama under the Philippines’ Star Cinema Productions called Noy. Co-directed, produced and starring Filipino actor Coco Martin, Noy held a screening for press at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles recently. The film is being considered in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the the 83rd Academy Awards, to be held in February 2011.
Fans, press and other celebrities gathered around the red carpet as the lone star, Coco Martin, stepped out of the limo and made his way to his film’s screening.
At last, the star of the night has arrived in a shining white blazer.
Before his arrival, stars like Michael Copon, Ron Jeremy and the dance group Poreotics made red carpet appearances.
ABS-CBN's Balitang America interviews Coco Martin.
Joining in with America's Best Dance Crews' Poreotics.
Martin plays Noy, a fabricated journalist amidst the real presidential campaign of now-President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. No, this story isn’t another Shattered Glass movie about a journalist who is a pathological liar. The film unravels as Noy’s true identity is revealed as he is blind-sighted by the drive to support his widowed mother, crippled older brother and bright young sister.
The indie film has all-around compelling performances from the actors who bring out the true core of the family-oriented Filipino who faces hardships with resilience and hard work. As heard on Disney’s Lilo and Stitch, ” ‘Ohana’ means ‘family.’ ‘Family’ means no one gets left behind.” That is the very case for this tale, but with a twist of fate and hint of Hurricane Ondoy’s aftermath. The cinematography is also charming, with an assortment of shots which make life like a box of chocolates because you never know if you’re going to get the bird’s eye view or the close-up. The musical score has a great way of embedding historic revivals into the film. However, its plot left me a little confused. Even Ron Jeremy said that he thought the acting was great, but the plot could have been clearer.
Coco Martin waits for his film, Noy to start.
After the film, Martin had a Q&A session and described his drive to carefully select roles because he is an advocate of the poor and also because he is one of the few Filipino celebrities who came from humble beginnings.
Martin has left his mark in the indie film industry in gay-oriented films Masahista (The Masseuse), Daybreak and Jay, but he truly got his break after starring in ABS-CBN dramas.
Filipino American actor Michael Copon prepares his notes before taking part in the Q&A portion.
Martin answered questions from the audience during the Q&A session.
The event ended with a reception, and it was on to more drinks, appetizers, gift bags and fun!
Gift bags containing a DVD of the film and other goodies were passed out to audience members.
Ron Jeremy (right) and a friend pose in their contrast-perfect clothes.
Keep checking back with AudreyMagazine.com to find out the fate of Noy for the awards season. In the meantime, check out the trailer here:
I have always wondered how my life would be like had my parents never left their hometown of Libagon, Southern Leyte for the United States. Having spent the last two weeks here in this town (where it’d only take you 15-20 minutes to walk from one end to the other),I’ve gotten a taste of what that life would be.
The best word to describe the lifestyle of Libagon residents is simple. Students attend school from 8 am until 4 pm. During their lunch breaks they’ll either get snacks from the street vendors, play computer games at the Internet Café, or sing a couple songs on the karaoke machine at the seaside restaurant (designed to look like a nipa hut).
The seaside nipa-hut style restaurant where Libagon students spend their lunch break eating and singing karaoke.
Libagon can be compared to the city of Las Vegas because it is a town that never sleeps. From sunrise until sunset the town is alive with people who always have something to do. If they aren’t working, parents will pass the time by visiting friends and relatives to make kwnetuhan (share stories and gossip). Fishermen will get on their boats to catch fish or squid to sell. Young boys climb up palm trees to gather coconuts for a refreshing snack.
Even though I am not completely worry-free and have my Audrey assignments (like these series of posts) to do, I cannot help but feel calm and relaxed in this town. Everyone is so friendly and quick to help others out. Everyone knows each other and if they don’t they do not hesitate to introduce themselves.
I may not have been born here or know every family and their history like my parents, but Libagon is a very special place to me and I do feel at home.
However, I know I won’t ever be able to relate to the impoverished life that most people in this town live. Both my father and mother’s families are fairly well off, but they have always managed to stay humble and know that the best way to really give thanks to God for their blessings is to help those who are less fortunate than them.
The children of Libagon.
My brother has celebrated his 5th, 13th and (most recently) his 18th birthday in Libagon. I can recall on the day of my brother’s 5th birthday, my mom and aunts were running around decorating the area along the beachfront where we would be holding the celebration. My brother started to cry because he noticed there were no gifts for him to be found. He sobbed to my mother, “Mommy, where are my presents? It’s my birthday!”
My parents took my brother aside and explained to him that here in the Philippines many children are not as lucky as him. They don’t have closets full of clothes or bedrooms full of toys. Some children aren’t even able to go to school because their parents do not have enough money to pay for their education.
As with all of his birthdays that have been celebrated in Libagon, my family invited many children to the party so that they could enjoy the many delicious food we had prepared: lechon (roasted pig), pancit (noodles), fried chicken, and fish among other dishes. It may just be one day out of the whole year that they can enjoy this kind of feast, but you can see in their eyes how happy and appreciative they are.
Once all the children are fed my parents distribute “presents” we brought for them from the United States. This year they brought a box full of various types of shoes for boys and girls and another box filled with notebooks, pens, pencils, calculators and other school supplies.
My mother passing out notebooks, pencils, and other school supplies to children.
Living in the U.S. it can be easy for me to get caught up in my daily routine of working and worrying over petty things like a friend not returning a call right away, but when I see the big smile on a little boy or girl’s face over something as simple as a pack of pencils, reality hits me. My so-called problems are nothing in comparison to what many people deal with day in and day out in the Philippines. At the age of 5, my brother may have cried because he wasn’t receiving a table full of presents, but we both now know (thanks to the example set by our parents) the importance of sharing one’s blessings.
In my (almost) 23 years, I’ve been to the Philippines five times; when I was 3, 10, 14, 18, and now. With a degree in journalism and a few years of reporting experience under my belt, I’ve made it a point this time around to take note of what I see and hear on my current trip back to my parents’ native land and the place I consider to be my second home.
My parents, brother and I flew via Asiana Airlines from Chicago to Manila, Philippines last July 10. Despite the 14-hour flight from Chicago to Seoul, Korea (our three-hour stopover) and the three-hour connecting flight from Seoul to Manila, we very much felt comfortable and enjoyed both flights. We faced no problems checking in our luggage back in Chicago and had no issues upon our arrival in Seoul.
However, when it came time for us to take the approximately 45-minute Philippine Airlines flight from Manila to Tacloban City, Southern Leyte, we faced very questionable and rude treatment by workers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Despite my parents’ attempts to pack no more than 25-30 kilos in each of our boxes (the maximum weight for Philippine Airlines), we were informed that we had excess check-in baggage and must pay 4,000 pesos (approximately $80-$90). My mom was obviously not very happy because she had intended for that money to go to other purposes, but decided against fighting the charge. You see, being charged for excess baggage is nothing new to my family. We have faced this issue each and every time we’ve traveled domestic in the Philippines.
Philippines bound! Checking in our luggage at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
We paid the fee and were about to make our way through security when a female security guard stopped us. She eyed my parents’ and my brother’s carry-on suitcases, as well as mine and said, “Your luggage is too big. You need to go back to the counter and check them in.” (I should note here that as the guard spoke to us, two women whose suitcases were much larger in size than ours went through security no questions asked. Did the guard not question them because she knew they weren’t Americans? Who knows …) Needless to say, my parents were furious and my temper was nearing its boiling point. My mom told the guard, “We traveled on two international flights with these suitcases as our carry-ons and had no problems and you’re telling us they’re too big for the planes here?” The guard continued to just say that we had to return to the counter and so we eventually did.
Once we were back at the same counter from earlier, my mom (God bless her fearlessness of confrontation) demanded to know why the young gentleman who checked in our baggage did not make any mention of our suitcases being too big. She also demanded the name of the female security guard, to which the young man replied, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I do not know her.”
“Oh, really? I think you’re only saying you don’t know her because I’m asking you for her name. Am I right?” my mother asked. She raised her voice a bit higher so that the other workers at the counters and other passengers could hear. “Is this how you are all trained to treat balikbayans? Were you all told to charge us with as many bogus fees as you can so that you could take all of our money? Hindi na ‘to balikbayan; balik gastos! (This is no longer a homecoming; it’s coming home to pay!)”
Many people may think my family and I overreacted, but I’m sure if you spoke with other balikbayans you will discover that they too have faced these same issues.
Philippines customs officials and airport employees are notorious for opening the boxes of balikbayans and taking items that are meant for their family and friends to keep for themselves (Upon our arrival in Manila, we discovered that a set of brand new bath towels that my mom had planned to give away had been taken. We knew the box had been opened because it had been resealed with tape that said “SECURITY CHECK” and the rope we used to tie it was inside). They also ruthlessly make false claims that certain items are not allowed to be brought onto the plane so that passengers will be forced to leave the items behind and the customs people can take them for themselves.
Our balikbayan boxes full of give-aways for family, friends, and people in need.
My family and I love the summers when we can go back to the Philippines to visit our extended family and friends. However, the treatment of many balikbayans has continued to be a problem. It is unfair and very upsetting to see our fellow Filipinos taking advantage of us when we just want to enjoy ourselves. It is also unfortunate that they don’t seem to understand that the money and items they, for whatever reason, so very much want to keep for themselves could be better used to help the children begging for food in the streets and the elderly who are forced to sleep on dirty sidewalks.
There is no doubt that the Philippines is a beautiful country full of equally beautiful and kindhearted people. I most definitely am not generalizing and saying that all employees at Filipino airports are unfairly targeting balikabayans, but it is a problem that I believe needs to be addressed immediately before the situation gets so out of hand that Filipinos living abroad no longer feel welcome in their motherland.
