...the Asia's Pride

4 Filipino 'Asia's Got Talent' acts bring pride to the Philippines

By CNN Philippines Staff

15 May 2015

El Gamma Penumbra, Gerphil Geraldine Flores, Gwyneth Dorado, and the Junior New System brought pride to the country as they performed their finest pieces for the 'Asia's Got Talent' grand finals.

(CNN Philippines) - Filipino talent was abundant in the grand finals of TV talent show Asia's Got Talent as four out of nine acts were from the Philippines.

El Gamma Penumbra, Gerphil Geraldine Flores, Gwyneth Dorado, and the Junior New System brought pride to the country as they perform their finest pieces for the Asia's Got Talent (AGT) grand finals.

Other acts were from Singapore (Dance Thrilogy), Thailand (Talento), Mongolia (Khusugtun), China (Gao Lin snd Liu Xin), and Japan (Triqstar).

The winner will be announced on TVchannel AXN on Thursday (May 14). The prize includes $100,000 and an opportunity to perform at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

The audience at home will ultimately determine who wins the first season of Asia's Got Talent.

Asia's Got talent is hosted by Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez. Grammy-winning musician David Foster, Taiawanese-American Vaness Wu, former Spice Girl Melanie C. and Indonesian rock icon Anggun judged the competition.

Gwyneth Dorado

The talented 10-year old songstress has always been interested in music. She's all-around performer having learned how to lay the keyboard, piano and guitar -- mostly through Youtbe tutorials.

Asia's Got talent is the first competition she joined.

When she is not practicing for her performance, dorado is typically a student who tries hard to excel in school . 

For her final performance, Dorado performed a stripped-down version of Sia's hit "Titanium

El Gamma Penumbra

 

Filipinos first heard of shadow play group El Gamma penumbra when they became a finalist in Pilipinas Got Talent in 2013, but the whole world took notice when they became a finalist in the AGT.

The team members from Tanauan City, Batangas decided to join the AGt for the reason they wanted to experience the international TV stage and show the world what they can do as performers.

That simple dream led them to realize that they now have an opportunity to honor the Philippines and to make the Filipinos proud.

Judge Anggun pressed her Golden Buzzer for El gamma Penumbra, which automatically advanced them to the competition's semi-finals.

Their shadow play final performance featuring the song "Colors of the Wind" was a touching tribute to Mother nature. Judged moved to tears by the performance.

Gerphil Geraldine Flores

 

The 24 year old powerful soprano singer has always been hooked to the classical music because she feels it transports her to a different world.

When AXN asked Flores as to what she will do with the prize money if she wins, she said she will help her family. Aside from that, she wanted to help aspiring musicians to achieve their dreams.

Flores also joined Pilipinas Got Talent five years ago.

Flores is the second Filipino act to get the coveted Golden Buzzer when judge David Foster gave it to her-- immediately sending her to the semi finals.

She chose to sing "The Impossible Dream" from the musical Man of La Mancha for her final performance.

Junior New System

 

The funky dance group Junior New System prides themselves as a group who performs hiphop with a twist.

they teamed up on 2009, and since then, they have dominated the dance floor where they perform.

In the semis, junior New System received unanimous nods from the judges to head to the grand finals.

Prior to AGT, these young boys were named the grand winner of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Arts NCAA sayaw Pinoy in 2012 and 2013 in the hip hop category.

The Junior New system showed off their dance moves to a song mash-up while clad in American football uniform.

...the Asia's most resilient economy

'Philippines resilient to external risks'

Zinnia B. dela Pena
Philippine Star
12 may 2015


MANILA - The Philippines is expected to continue to hold up well to external headwinds as it has enough fiscal space to counter any global risks, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said.

Purisima said the country remains one of the region’s most resilient to external shocks due to its sound fundamentals that compare well with many regions in the world.

“We have built ample buffers that strongly position the Philippines to weather changes in the external environment. We are less vulnerable to external risks, but we will never be complacent,” Purisima said.

Purisima issued the statement amid fears the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates by June or 
September, its first rate hike since the financial crisis.

Countries that are still running large deficits are vulnerable to flight of capital if the US Fed raises rates sooner or more aggressively than expected. Some emerging markets are heavily reliant on foreign inflows to fund fiscal or current account deficits.

With higher US interest rates, corporations and banks that borrowed in dollars could face additional pressure if they don’t have matching revenues or assets.

Purisima said the Philippines has sustained current account surpluses that began in 2003 with foreign exchange reserves growing significantly on the back of steady remittance flows and a growing business process outsourcing industry.

Vulnerability to foreign exchange risk is tempered with the country’s heavy bias towards local currency. Interest payments have been locked at low rates with the country’s debt portfolio predominantly in fixed terms.

Apart from these, the ratio of the country’s external debt has dropped to 15 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) or 0.5 times the Philippines’ dollar reserves – one of the lowest levels in Asia.

Purisima noted that only four percent of external debt will be maturing within a year, reflecting an average residual maturity of over 11 years.

An improved export manufacturing sector has narrowed the trade deficit further easing balance of payment pressures.

...the First Filipino UK councilor

Filipina elected as borough and town councilor in UK

Agnes Constante

Asian Journal

12 May 2015

A BRITISH-Filipina was elected councilor of the Hertfordshire borough Hertsmere and town Elstree and Borehamwood in the United Kingdom on May 8, marking the highest level of public office any Filipino has ever held in the European state.

Cynthia Barker, originally from San Pablo City, Laguna, ran under the Conservative Party and garnered 1,513 votes in the UK national elections.

“I am really humbled to have been selected by the residents,” she said, according to the Watford Observer. “I never imagined I would be standing here. I am looking forward to the challenges and working with residents.”

Barker first moved to the UK in the mid-1980s to join her family. Her mother arrived first in the 1970s.

“[My mother] will always be my hero. She made the same sacrifice that most OFWs make, sent all her money home while she worked long hours to ensure that the family was well-fed and educated. We now have four generations of family in the UK,” she said in an interview with the magazine The Filipino Expat.

Barker said she has become accustomed to the British lifestyle since relocating and has immersed herself in the country through studying and exploring the city.

“I was quite insular before and I only went out with fellow Filipinos. This gradually changed as I continued my studies here. [I] realized we are all the same, people wanting to protect our country by becoming involved with our local community,” she said.

Still, Barker said she remembers the Filipino values her parents instilled in her and that they helped her in adapting to British society.

The newly-elected councilor is an experienced immigrant advisor who previously served as president of the Rotary Club of Elstree and Borehamwood, as well as other charitable organizations including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In her local town of Elstree and Borehamwood, she is actively involved in the local church and residents’ association. She is also chair of the town’s museum and is a school governor at St. Nicholas School.

“I have always been curious about everything that happens in our local town,” she said.

Barker said she has always found politics important. She said she has always supported the Conservative Party because of how it ran policy in her local town. Barker became involved with the party’s campaigns even before she became a full member.

The British-Filipina hopes her recent win will inspire more Filipinos to become more active in British politics.

“It is important to be a part of the political machinery – the British are open and they embrace us. But we Filipinos need to make the first step and adapt,” she said.

Gene Alcantara, an immigration adviser in London, called Barker’s victory “a very encouraging wake-up call to the Filipino community in the UK,” as it is indicative of Filipino empowerment and representation in the British community. Alcantara said more political involvement is expected from Filipinos after Barker’s election.

“The vital point about it is that British-Filipinos are participating in the political process,” he said.

Alcantara added that he hopes more Filipinos will also be encouraged to vote not only in the UK, but in the 2016 Philippine national elections.

Prior to Barker’s win, the highest public office ever held by a Filipino in the United Kingdom was a town councilor.