...the Pinay performer at Beijing Opera

Annie Luis is first Filipino performer at the Beijing Opera

By Walter Ang
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Saturday, January 11th, 2014


 

ANNIE LUIS, first Filipino graduate of the Peking Opera Performance program of the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts

Annie Luis is the first Filipino graduate of the Peking Opera Performance program of the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts. She completed the program in 2008 and proceeded to finish a master’s degree in Directing Traditional Chinese Theatre.

“‘Beijing or Peking Opera’ is how the rest of the world knows it,” she explains. “However, this is just a foreign scholar’s translation of a Chinese term that cannot really be translated perfectly.”

She adds: “It is called jingju; ‘jing’ comes from the name of the city, Beijing, where this genre was born; and ‘ju’ means play or drama. The Western definition of drama could not quite include the musical aspect of this genre; hence it was considered a kind of opera, even if opera is hardly the same as jingju.”

Epiphany

LUIS performing a jingju piece

Hailing from Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Luis grew up “in the part of the woods where arts was a luxury and definitely could not be considered a profession.”

At age 10 she had an epiphany when she saw a video of the musical “Annie.”

She remembers thinking at the time: “You can actually sing and dance and act at the same time? This is theater? Oh, goodie!” But she had to satisfy her newfound interest with soundtrack cassette tapes and videotapes of live performances since there weren’t many shows in her hometown.

Luis flexed her theater muscles in high school. “I was more of a director than an actress because I liked ordering people around,” she says, laughing.

“Classical singing came in after I shared an apartment with music and voice majors while studying theater at the University of the Philippines,” she recalls.

This was when her fascination with jingju began.

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Stylized

“I’d always been interested in Brechtian/Epic Theater and the alienation effect that it espouses. After I saw a video of a jingju performance, I was immediately drawn to its apparent alienation effect,” she says.

“The whole storytelling, with its presentation of music, song, speech, dance and acting, was stylized yet incredibly engaging. It presented a synthesis of art forms rolled into one unique theater experience,” she adds. (She found out during her studies that Bertolt Brecht was actually a fan of jingju.)

LUIS being assisted into her costume

After college, she performed with several groups, including the Bayanihan Dance Company. She eventually found her way to Beijing with a grant from the China Scholarship Council.

Luis had to learn the Chinese language for a whole year before she could even begin the performance program.

“I had to put in extra effort to translate lyrics just to understand and properly express what I was singing,” she says.

Different techniques

Cultural adjustments were also a constant challenge. “Chopsticks posed a threat to my well-being so I always carried a fork in my bag, just in case,” she quips.

To add another hurdle, her background as a singer didn’t prepare her for the singing involved in jingju. “The style is different: nasal, shrill, with a different technique for resonance.”

She says, “I spent at least one school year just learning the singing, acting, movement and dance for a 12-minute piece. That is how much work jingju requires of a foreigner without previous exposure to the form.”

Now that she’s back in Manila, Luis works at the International Affairs Office of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts while still dancing with Bayanihan.

“There are some things that I learned in jingju that I am able to use discreetly in my work for Bayanihan,” she says. “I hope to teach jingju in the future, and realize a joint production of a Filipino sarswela and jingju with both Filipino and Chinese artists.”

 

...the Utah Attorney General

Lawyer with Filipino roots is Utah attorney general

By Nimfa U. Rueda
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Saturday, January 11th, 2014

REYES

LOS ANGELES—Utah’s new attorney general, the first member of an ethnic minority to hold a state position, is of Filipino heritage.

Sean Reyes, a 42-year-old topnotch lawyer, is the son of immigrants with Filipino and Spanish roots, according to the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (Naffaa).

“As Filipino-Americans, we are elated that one of our own has gained the distinction and honor of serving as Utah’s top law enforcement officer,” said Naffaa, in a statement congratulating Reyes.

However, the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) described Reyes as Hispanic. The influential organization, in a statement applauding Reyes’ appointment, described him as “one of the first Hispanic lawyers to become a partner at a major Utah firm.”

The new attorney general played a crucial role in reestablishing the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and cofounded its education-targeted foundation, the USHCC said.

Reyes was also involved in a national commission established by former President George W. Bush to advise him on Hispanic American issues.

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Reyes’ official biography said he “was born to immigrant parents of Spanish, Hawaiian and Asian heritage” while some newspaper articles mentioned his Filipino roots.

“I am humbled by the responsibility and the weight of the Attorney General’s office,” Reyes said in a statement posted on his office’s web site. “I respect what it stands for and I’m deeply appreciative of the trust Governor (Gary R.) Herbert has shown in me.”

Before his appointment, Reyes served for more than a decade as a small claims judge and two years on the governing body of the Utah State Bar.

As president of the Utah Minority Bar, Reyes received numerous state and national awards.

He got his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University, graduating summa cum laude, and earned a law degree with honors from University of California, Berkeley.

A Republican, Reyes will soon lead the fight to defend the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.
The 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Colorado has denied Utah’s motion for a stay on federal Judge Robert Shelby’s ruling that struck down a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

On Monday, the US Supreme Court granted the state’s request for a temporary halt on same-sex marriage while it appeals Shelby’s ruling that legalized such unions.

Reyes vowed to restore public confidence in the attorney general’s office previously headed by John Swallow, who resigned amid allegations of bribery and influence peddling.

Reyes, who ran for attorney general in 2012 but lost, would serve out the remaining two years of Swallow’s term.

 

...the state of English language in PH

What Asian Can Learn From Philippines About English Education

   

 

Amy Chavez

Correspondent, Japan Times

(Published in Huffington Post)

10 January 2014

I've just come back from the Philippines where English is an official language, along with the local Filipino language. This does not mean that everyone understands or speaks English but it does mean that exposure to the language is so great that those who do speak it can communicate quite fluently. I was impressed that even people who had never stepped outside of the Philippines were fluent in English.

According to an Educational Testing Service (ETS) ranking based on TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores for 2010, the Philippines ranked 35th out of 163 countries world wide. The only other Asian countries to score higher than the Philippines were Singapore (ranked 3rd in the world with a score of 98), and India (19th with a score of 92). Malaysia tied the Philippines for 35th place with a score of 88.

What about other Asian countries? Ranked at the bottom in the English test scores were South Korea at 80th (score of 81), China at 105th (score 77) and Japan at 135th place with a score of 70.
In the middle fell Taiwan (score 76), Thailand (score 75) and Vietnam (score 73).

Japan, in an attempt to rectify its low status and aiming to make its economy more globally competitive, is considering introducing English education earlier, possibly in the third year of elementary school. They may also start teaching some high school classes in the target language.

Yet the Philippines has mastered English as a second language despite statistics that show large swaths of the country -- such as Mindanao and Eastern Visayas -- have a less than 30 percent elementary school graduation rate. Other claims estimate as many as 27.8 percent of school-age children nationwide either don't attend, or never finish, elementary school.

While introducing English earlier in the education system in Japan is a step in the right direction, as the Philippines shows, English proficiency may not have that much to do with early grade school education.

So, how has the Philippines managed to master English?

First, they had the foresight to understand the value of keeping the language imposed on them during the sometimes brutal U.S. occupation of the Philippines from 1898-1946. While the US helped plant the seeds for learning English, it was the country itself that took enough interest to dedicate resources and attention to maintaining the language after the Americans left. Japan saw no advantage to their exposure to English during their U.S. occupation from 1945 to 1952 (ending in 1972 in Okinawa) and South Korea abandoned Japanese language after being under Japanese rule from 1905 till the end of WWII. Ditto Taiwan, under Japanese colonial rule from 1895 to 1945.

Next, the Philippines deserves credit for its approach to learning English which is much different from that of Japan, China and South Korea, where English is seen more as a subject in school than a means of communication. Despite a proliferation of English language schools (for both children and adults) in these countries, and a keen interest in studying English, these Asian countries remain at the bottom when it comes to English proficiency.

Language success in the Philippines is due to its approach to learning English, not just teaching it. Not only is English taught in schools, but the population is given another key tool necessary for language acquisition: exposure outside the classroom.

English signs abound in the Philippines, and these signs are not there expressly for foreign tourists. "Don't block the driveway," say signs on the roads in Cebu. "House for sale," informs a sign in front of a dwelling in the countryside. Company signs, road signs and advertisements are in English (think about it -- are any of those things taught in a regular text-book based English language classroom?). Anyone has a chance to learn English through life experience too.

One cannot overemphasize the role of exposure in learning a second language. Not only does it allow people to experience the language firsthand, in real situations, but exposure provides reinforcement, something Asian students rarely get outside the classroom.

When I stepped into a taxi in Manila, the driver was listening to a radio news program that featured two pundits discussing a recent bus accident -- in both English and Filipino simultaneously. The country also presents national and world news in English on TV. These are not translations of news, as you often find in Asian countries, but news reported in English by Filipino news anchors.

Asian universities hoping to attract more foreign students should consider how the Philippines has significantly increased foreign student enrollments: top universities in the Philippines teach all their classes in English.

As a result, Filipino universities are attracting students from Iran, Libya, Brazil, Russia, China and Japan to earn graduate and post graduate degrees. These universities offer an alternative for students who would normally look at much more expensive schools in the US, UK and Australia.

It takes a certain amount of determination to learn a second language. Learning English as a subject in school is not enough. If the Asian countries at the bottom of the TOEFL score list want to improve, they need to start treating English as a working language and a means of communication. They should consider not just better ways to teach English, but better ways to learn it.

 

...the Philippines, from an Indian author

It's time to visit Philippines

 

Vir Sanghvi,

Hindustan Times
January 10, 2014

"From our point of view, this is India’s loss. Because the Philippines is really the great secret Asian destination. "

Columnist Vir Sanghvi

Think about it: when there isn’t a typhoon or some natural calamity do we, in India, ever hear of the Philippines? Does it even cross our minds that it is a beautiful Asian destination that we could pick for our holidays?

The honest answer is: no. The Philippines is simply not part of the Indian consciousness even though there is a prosperous and flourishing expatriate Indian community. When we do talk about the country it is in the context of Typhoon Yolanda, the Asian Development Bank, which is headquartered in Manila, and – if you are part of a certain generation – Imelda Marcos’ shoe collection.

At first I thought that the reason for our mental block when it came to the Philippines was the lack of direct flights. But that makes no sense: there are no direct flights to Bali from India either and that does not stop thousands of Indians from wanting to go there. Nor can distance be the issue. It takes less time to get to Manila from Delhi than it does to get to say, Hong Kong.



The only explanation I can find is that the Philippines has never looked like a part of South East Asia. In many ways, it is a quasi-European society with strong Spanish roots and it tends to look to America for most of its reference points. The Asian tourists it does get tend to be wealthy Japanese and newly rich Chinese.

From our point of view, this is India’s loss. Because the Philippines is really the great secret Asian destination. There are many, many reasons to go there. Firstly, it is nothing like Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Bali. Because of the years of Spanish colonisation, the temperament of the Filipinos is more Latin and less East Asian. They are a happy, laid-back people who like to live it up with grand weddings that rival Punjabi weddings in their exuberance and music runs through their veins.Everybody seems to sing in the Philippines.

Then, there’s the English factor. The story goes that when the Americans moved into the Philippines, they sent teachers to every village to make sure that the people learned English and forgot their Spanish. Today, Filipinos laugh at the futility of this American endeavour. Americans may have stamped out Spanish from a faraway part of Asia but there are at least a dozen states in the US where much of the population speaks more Spanish than English.

Just like home: in the Philippines, big cities are not plush and glamorous, like say, Singapore or Shanghai. In many ways, it is just like India.

 

For Indians, the advantage is that language is never an issue. Shop assistants will speak English as well as we do and if you ever get lost, you can ask anybody on the street for directions and conduct a complex conversation in it.

And there’s a third advantage: price. Ever since the rupee became, basically, worthless, Indians have felt even poorer everywhere in the world. Forget about Europe where bell boys now expect tips of Rs. 800 to Rs. 1,000, even such Asian destinations as Singapore and Hong Kong now seem prohibitively expensive.

In the Philippines, however your money goes a long way. The peso is around 42 or so to the dollar (roughly where the rupee was in the last decade) and each peso buys far more, in terms of food, taxis, shopping or hotels than the rupee does in India.

Those are the arguments for going to the Philippines. The argument against going is that the big cities are not plush and glamorous like say, Shanghai or Singapore. You will see poverty and beggars will come up to your car. In many ways, it is just like India and each time I’ve gone to Manila, it has reminded me of Bombay. This is fine by me because I love Bombay. But if you want glitz and glamour, go to New York instead.

Just like India, there are enclaves within Manila that seem modern and First World. On my first trip to the city, I was at the grand old Manila Hotel where General Douglas MacArthur stayed in the last century and which has neither been cleaned nor renovated since he left. (Okay, that’s a bit harsh. But think of the old Great Eastern in Calcutta before the Lalit group took it over. It has that kind of dubious charm.)

Makati is a new, modern part of Manila (it's Gurgaon or Bandra-Kurla Complex, if you want Indian parallel). It is full of tall office buildings, malls and top hotels

Makati is a new, modern part of Manila (it’s Gurgaon or Bandra-Kurla Complex if you want an Indian parallel). It is full of tall office buildings, malls and top hotels (the Mandarin Oriental, the Dusit Thani, the Fairmont etc). So it is vaguely reminiscent of Singapore. I stayed at the Shangri-La, usually regarded as the best hotel in Manila, and thought that the food and service were exceptional.

But Manila was a transit halt. I was on my way to Boracay which you’ve probably never heard of, but is, in fact, the top resort destination in the Philippines. It is a 50-minutes flight from Manila and then you take a speedboat to your hotel. Mine was the Shangri-La Boracay Resort which is managed by Amit Oberoi, who many Delhiwallas will remember fondly from his stint at the Imperial during its glory days. I knew very little about Boracay before I got there but the island is a sort of cleaner, more upmarket version of Goa: same lazy Latin feel but no drug-dealers or sleaze. The Shangri-La has two beaches, one of which is entirely private, and many of the villas open directly on to the sea. The sand is unusual, a soft white powder that crinkles gently beneath your feet as you walk to the sea.

The hotel itself is large (over 200 rooms) and caters to all tastes with huge standard rooms on a cliff, giant suites and 36 villas, some on the beach and some high above the ground, touching the trees. (They call them treetop villas, naturally).

Unlike most Far Eastern resorts I’ve been to, at least half the guests were wealthy Filipinos, many of whom had come here again and again, hosted weddings here and had their favourite villas. It is the sort of relationship that many Indians have with Goa except that this resort is much nicer than any Goa hotel I can think of.

There are many, many restaurants and bars on Boracay, all serving good food. There are lots of hotel options as well. But I liked the Shangri-La resort because it had an air of peace and quiet about it. Most days, I stayed in my villa or sat in the garden, relaxing and unwinding. In many ways I had the best of all worlds: a hotel where everybody speaks perfect English and yet, there is no chance of running into anyone who knows you. (There were no Indian guests at the resort.)

You can, if you like, engage in water-based activities like diving, snorkelling, jet-skiing etc, and because the landscape is so beautiful, it is advisable to rent a boat and cruise the sea around the island. But as you may have guessed, I chose to do none of these things and just enjoyed the solitude.

I asked Amit if they got many Indian guests. He said around two or three couples a season was the norm. Most Indians regard Boracay as being too far. You need to change planes to get to Manila and then there’s another short plane ride. On the other hand, you can bypass Manila completely and fly to Boracay directly from Singapore (a three-hour flight), which makes the resort as accessible as your average Bali hotel. But I don’t think enough Indians have worked out that this is even possible. And most don’t think of the Philippines as an option anyway.

The Shangri-La is the top resort in the country so it costs around Rs. 18,000 per night which puts it in the same range as top Bali hotels or even the better properties in Goa. Amit concedes that some Thai beach resorts can be cheaper but his position is that Boracay is not for everyone. It is the sort of place you go to once you’ve done Phuket, Koh Samui or Nusa Dua. It is targeted at the experienced traveller not the novice.

The Shangri-La Resort had an air of peace and quiet about it. Most days, I stayed in my villa or sat in the garden, relaxing and unwinding.

I don’t know how many Indians will head for Boracay (though I imagine that it would be a great location for a rich Indian wedding now that the usual places have been done) but I do think that you should include the Philippines in any future holiday plans you may make. You don’t have to stay at top-end hotels like the Shangri-La, as wonderful as they are: there’s a fair range of mid-priced accommodation.

But once you’ve got your hotel out of the way, there’s nothing else that’s very expensive, not the food, not the bars, not the shopping and as for the music, well you always get that for free in the Philippines.

...the PH economy by 2015

Philippine economic growth to outpace China in 2015, says Credit Agricole

By: Maricel E. Burgonio,
InterAksyon.com
January 9, 2014

 

MANILA - While it would slow down this year, the Philippine economy will outpace China and the rest of Asia next year, according to Credit Agricole.

In a report, the multinational investment bank said the Philippines' gross domestic product (GDP) will grow at a slower 5.7 percent this year from last year's estimate of 6-7 percent.
\
GDP is the amount of final goods and services produced in the country and as such measures economic performance.

But by next year, the Philippines will get back its groove, with GDP seen growing 7.3 percent amid the reconstruction of areas devastated by Typhoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda).

“Gradually, the post-Yolanda reconstruction will begin to add to growth, and by 2015 the economy will again be running on all cylinders, growing 7.3 percent – above the Chinese level and the most in Asia [excluding] Japan," Credit Agricole said.

The investment bank expects remittances, which has fueled the 5-7 percent growth in household consumption in the last three years, to contribute as much this year.

It also sees government consumption, which expanded 12 percent in the last two years, to rebound as the calamity reconstruction takes off.

Inflation to pick up

With robust growth, inflation is expected to pick up to four percent this year from the estimated 3.1 percent average in 2013.

“The BSP is trying to look through the faster price gains, hoping that they represent a one-off, but will have to be mindful of the potential for pass-through,” Credit Agricole said, referring to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Credit Agricole said the BSP is faced with "a tough task of managing the ripple effects" of the US Federal Reserve's decision to withdraw its economic stimulus.

"We anticipate significant outflows of portfolio capital from the Philippines, which will reduce the availability of funding needed for growth," Credit Agricole said.

100 basis points hike in interest rates

Given this, the BSP would hike its interest rates to a total of 50 basis points starting in the middle of this year, followed by a similar amount next year.

“We expect the BSP to maintain such a policy in [first half of this year]. At the same time, we expect the Philippines to stand out in terms of growth and monetary tightening, and to maintain a solid current account surplus," Credit Agricole said.

With policy tightening this year, the peso is expected to rebound to P43 against the US dollar, allowing the local currency to become one of Asia's best performing. For 2015, the peso is seen to average P42 to the dollar.

 

...the Pinoy factor

The Pinoy factor in reality TV competitions

byIra Agting

Rappler.com
01/08/2014

X FACTOR. Filipino caregiver Rose Fostanes has taken Israel by storm. Screen grab from Youtube (Miggi Lucman)

MANILA, Philippines - A Fiilipino caregiver has captivated audiences in the first season of reality singing show X Factor Israel, adding to the growing list of Pinoy achievers in the international entertainment, reported the Associated Press.

47-year-old Rose Fostanes secured a place in the top 4 of the competition after her renditions of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful," Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," and Lady Gaga's "You and I" made her an instant star.

Fostanes' performances were lauded by the judges, particularly by Israeli singer Shiri Maimon, who doubles as her mentor. She described "Beautiful," which earned Fostanes a standing ovation, "moving and more than perfect."

Fostanes, who has been working overseas for almost 20 years, said she hopes winning the competition will change her life.

The Pinoy factor

Now in the top 4 of the competition, Fostanes is now among a number of Filipinos who have shown exceptional musical talent in reality singing competitions.

Other bright stars in the X Factor franchise are Ellona Santiago who placed 6th in the US version and Rafael Aguilar who made waves in X Factor Bulgaria in 2011.

American Idol, since its start in 2002, has also placed Pinoy talent in the spotlight, most notably in Season 11 where Filipino-Mexican Jessica Sanchez placed 2nd next to Phillip Phillips.

 

Jessica Sanchez, American Idol Season 11 Top 2

The show's 3rd season featured two contestants with Filipino lineage. Fil-Am Jasmine Trias placed 3rd, while Camille Velasco was part of the top 9 contestants. In Season 7, Ramielle Malubay placed 9th.

Jasmine Trias, American Idol Season 3 Top 3

Camile Velasco, American Idol Season 3 Top 9

While many other Filipinos dazzled in the American Idol's auditions, one Pinoy went viral for singing an original composition. Renaldo Lapuz may not have gotten through to the next round, but he certainly left a mark in Idol audition history with "I Am Your Brother."


In Britain's Got Talent 2013, 11-year-old Arisxandra Libantino earned praise from the judges, even Simon Cowell, who told her that she was proof that talent goes beyond age. The young Filipina made it to the finals and placed 8th.





Arisxandra Libanto, Britain's Got Talent 2013 Top 8

Filipino-American group The Filharmonic are currently part of NBC's a capella singing competition The Sing Off. While still early in the battle, the 6 boys have already dazzled viewers and the judges with their 90s-inspired performances.

2013 big wins

Jonathan Yabut, a young marketing executive from Manila, shot to fame late July after winning The Apprentice Asia, the first Asian adaptation of the reality TV franchise.

 

Yabut was one of two Filipino contestants in the competition, where 12 professionals from all over Asia battled to conquer the world's "toughest job interview." Filipino contestant Celina le Neindre, a food and beverage consultant, made it until week 7.

 

In December, Deankie Latonio and Tiara Sison, a Filipino duo from Cebu, recently won reality interior design competition The Apartment, where contestants were tasked to design apartments with time and budget constraints. The two fresh graduates beat 8 other pairs from US, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Malaysia, and Singapore. - Rappler.com

 

...the UK's top 10 destination list

Philippines in UK’s top 10 countries to see in 2014
 

by Ron B. Lopez

Manila Bulletin
January 5, 2014

 

 

The Philippines is among the Top 10 Countries worldwide to visit this 2014, according to British travel guidebook Rough Guides.

In its 2014 edition, the Philippines made it to the 10th place along with other beautiful and culturally-rich countries. Rough Guides cited Philippines’ natural places that are “not to miss” which include the islands of Boracay, the limestone islands El Nido in Palawan, the coasts of Coron that hides beautiful beaches and pristine mountain lakes, and Puerto Gallera.

Rough Guides said Boracay’s enchanting white beach on picture-postcard setting is one of the country’s

major tourist draws.

The Rough Guides, known for its travel references, has also recommended a must-visit in Chocolate Hills in Bohol, despite being partly damaged by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake the struck the province last year. It also recommended to visitors to see the tiny primate Tarsiers in the region.

“Soak up the bizarre landscape of Bohol’s iconic Chocolate Hills, conical brown-green mounds said to be the calcified tears of a broken-hearted giant,” Rough Guides said.

Aside from the crystal-clear waters of Philippine beaches, Rough Guides also suggest to tourists to also try to explore the country’s beautiful mountains and the majestic top views they offier, including the perfectly-coned Mt. Mayon and mountain lakes in Mt. Pinatubo.

Rough Guide describes the crystal-clear waters of Apo Reef Marine Natural Park in Mindoro as a “scuba diver’s dream,” along with other underground river in the country.

Aside from places, tourist should also explore the traditions and colorful festivals in the country like the Ati-Atihan Festival on Panay to see the “indigenous dress and learn tribal dances,” the travel advisor said, adding that if one gets exhausted from the heat of the sun, a tall glass of Halo-halo, a local sweet icy dessert, will quench tourist’ thirst.

Other countries in Rough Guides’ Top 10 countries to visit in 2014 are Georgia in Central Asia, Turkey, Macedonia, Japan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Brazil, Bulgaria and Madagascar.