...the Asian TV awards nominees

Filipino artists get nominated at Asian TV Awards 2013

Ferdie Villar
Asian Journal
14 November 2013


The Philippines was able to get nine nominations for this year’s Asian Television awards. Four of those nominations were performance or hosting, while five for programs.

Fighting in the category of Best Actress in a Leading Role are Marian Rivera and Lorna Tolentino.

 Marian has been nominated for her role as the martyr wife in the GMA-7 series, Temptation of Wife.

 Lorna on the other hand, is nominated for her character in the series Pahiram Ng Sandali, where she plays the role of a publisher having an affair with her daughter’s boyfriend.

The Queen of All Media Kris Aquino has been nominated for Best Entertainment Presenter/Host for her daily morning talk show, Kris TV.

Comedian Michael V. is again nominated for the category of Best Comedy Performance by an Actor/Actress for his show on GMA 7, Bubble Gang. He has won twice in the category—in 2005 and 2006—but is almost been nominated every year.

Other nominees include 24 Oras and Saksi for Best News Programme, while Reporter’s Notebook is nominated for Best Current Affairs Programme. All these shows are from GMA 7.

From ABS-CBN, The X Factor Philippines is nominated for Best Reality Show.

The announcement of winners will be during the awards/gala ceremony to be held in Singapore at the Resorts World Sentosa, Compass Ballroom on December 5.

 

...the Filipino Spirit

Filipino diaspora rallies after Typhoon Haiyan

By Demetri Sevastopulo in Hong Kong and Simeon Kerr in Dubai

Financial Times

15 November 2013

• 
  Residents walk towards their destroyed houses after a military helicopter delivers aid to an isolated island off Guiuan town

  ©AFP
• 
  A resident looks out from his home among the devastation in Tacloban city

  ©Getty
 
 

 

From Hong Kong to Dubai, pastors, teachers and consular officials describe an unprecedented outpouring of support from a diaspora that even in normal times is renowned for sending large amounts of money home to family and friends.

“Everyone is mobilising, everyone is raising funds for organisations and churches,” says Joyce Demetillo, a pastor at the Jesus is Lord church in Hong Kong.

Verna Fajilan, a former ballerina at Ballet Philippines who teaches dance in Hong Kong, says that while the Filipino “spirit for helping . . . is instinctive”, Haiyan has sparked an altogether different level of response from expatriates.

“Because of the enormity of the typhoon, there are more people now who want to mobilise the relief efforts,” says Ms Fajilan, who is organising charity zumba dance classes to raise money.
The Philippines foreign ministry says there are more than 10m Filipinos overseas who, according to the central bank, sent $21bn home in 2012.

Rosanna Villamor, the Philippines deputy consul-general in Hong Kong where there are 180,000 Filipinos, says she has been amazed by the “sheer number of people who have come forward with a number of fundraising events”. She adds that one difference from previous disasters is that people are sending the consulate names of relatives and loved ones that they cannot locate.

 

Daisy Mandap, editor of the Sun, a newspaper for Filipinos in Hong Kong, says this Sunday – the day most of the city’s 163,000 domestic helpers have a day off – will see a big response, as Filipinos arrange fundraising events across the territory.

 

Similar events are happening across the world, including in the United Arab Emirates, home to 500,000 Filipinos, most of whom live in the business hub of Dubai. They are the second most dense concentration of migrants in the oil-rich Gulf after Saudi Arabia, where an estimated 1.2m work.

More video

 

 

Wendell Castro, chairman of Task Force Yolanda – as Haiyan is known in the Philippines – in Dubai, is leading one of dozens of campaigns launched by about 100 Philippine community associations in the UAE. They have set up collection points for food, clothing, medicine and blankets, and are hoping to organise musical and prayer gatherings once they receive official approval.

“We are targeting about $200,000-$300,000 in donations,” Mr Castro says.

Filipinos from the affected areas have also spent the past week scouring the internet and awaiting phone calls for news about their families.

Jessa, a 26-year-old receptionist, has social media to thank for the end to six torturous days of uncertainty after her home town of Isabel in Leyte province was devastated, reduced to “only five homes”, she says.

I’d been looking at Facebook 24/7 and I recognised the landscape. So I sent a comment – ‘Please help me’ – and they gave me a number of a neighbour who went to my mother - Jessa, receptionist
 

Some residents of the town of about 45,000 people managed to bring a generator from a nearby island to charge mobile phones. They scaled a nearby hill to get a signal and posted pictures online.
“I’d been looking at Facebook 24/7, waiting for something, and I recognised the landscape,” says Jessa. “So I sent a comment – ‘Please help me’ – and they gave me a number of a neighbour who went to my mother.”

Thousands of kilometres away in New York, Elmer Villaluz, 66, treasurer at San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel – the city’s main Filipino church whose masses have been bustling – says that parishioners and the local community have come together to donate cash and clothes to the Red Cross.

“Filipinos are very religious . . . but they’re asking why did this happen to them?” Mr Villaluz says. “We are thankful because the global community is giving us aid.”

Frank Cimafranca, the Philippines consul-general in Dubai, says the consulate is “trying to raise awareness” by directing donations to government bodies and non-government organisations that are taking donations. While many Filipinos may want to return home to help, he says that in most cases, it is not possible.

Some people will return to the Philippines because they worry for their loved ones, but most will stay for practical reasons – there is nothing more they can do and it is better to send money - Frank Cimafranca, Philippines consul-general in Dubai
 

“Some people will return to the Philippines because they worry for their loved ones, but most will stay for practical reasons – there is nothing more they can do and it is better to send money,” he says
But some people have decided that staying away is too hard. Patrizia Villamore, a domestic helper who has lived in Hong Kong for two decades, flew to Manila and then made her way to Cebu where she met up with her husband Brian Delima, a construction worker in Saudi Arabia, who had also flown home after the typhoon.

Speaking by phone from Cebu, the couple said that after they arrived in the Philippines they learned that his uncle had died. Mr Delima says his uncle survived the typhoon only to die several days later from the cold. Ms Villamore explains that the scale of the disaster made it impossible for them not to return home.

“It is a very different feeling. We want to see our families – are they alive or not.”
Additional reporting by Camilla Hall in New York

demetri.sevastopulo@ft.com

 

 

...the PH fundamentals

Moody’s says PH fundamentals intact

Impact of ‘Yolanda’ on country’s economy said to be limited

By Paolo G. Montecillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Friday, November 15th, 2013

Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) survivors ride motorbikes through the ruins of the destroyed town of Guiuan, Philippine, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013. Yolanda killed thousands and caused billions of pesos in damage, but international rating agency Moody’s Investor Service said the Philippines’ economic fundamentals remained intact. AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File)

Supertyphoon “Yolanda” killed thousands and caused billions of pesos in damage, but a major international rating agency said the Philippines’ economic fundamentals remained intact.

Moody’s Investor Service in a report this week said Supertyphoon Yolanda may be the worst calamity to hit Southeast Asia in nearly a decade, rivaled in scale only by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that struck Indonesia.

However, while the loss in human lives was overwhelming, the overall effect on the real economy was likely to be muted.

“The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that struck Indonesia could be most similar to Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) in terms of the scale of devastation, but it, too, had a limited effect on overall economic conditions,” Moody’s said.

Moody’s said the local economies of Leyte and other provinces in the Visayas hit hard by Yolanda last week would take the brunt of the impact.

The damage to road infrastructure, power lines, communications systems, and farmlands would likely lead to a steep drop in output.

Moody’s noted that, as of Wednesday morning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s running count of casualties showed 1,833 deaths.

The rating firm, which upgraded the Philippines to “investment grade” last October, cited the government’s own initial estimate that the damage brought by Yolanda would shave just half a percentage point off the country’s estimated growth for 2013.

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“The relatively small hit to growth reflects the small contribution of Region VIII to the country’s economic output,” Moody’s said.

In 2012, Region VIII accounted for only 2.2 percent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP), down from 2.7 percent in 2009.

In the same year, Region VIII’s real gross regional domestic product (GRDP) contracted by 6.2 percent and subtracted 0.2 percentage points from the country’s 6.8 percent growth rate.

The most important regions in terms of their contribution to Philippine GDP, Moody’s said, were Metro Manila and the Southern Tagalog region, which together constituted 53 percent of GDP in 2012.

Fortunately, these areas were unaffected by Yolanda.

Moody’s expects the Philippine economy to grow by 7 percent this year, matching the top end of the government’s official forecast.

The asset quality of rated Philippine banks will also be minimally affected.

As of the end of 2012, loans to Region VIII constituted only 0.4 percent of total system loans.

Moody’s also expressed confidence that the Philippine government would be able to adequately finance out of its own coffers the reconstruction in typhoon-affected areas.

The government registered a primary surplus of P156.9 billion through the first three quarters of this year, 12.7 percent more than the balance in the same period in 2012.

In its annual budget, the government had provisioned P7.5 billion in a calamity fund, as well as embedded P3.9 billion in quick response funds in budgets for different line agencies, “although some of these funds had already been spent to address earlier disasters,” Moody’s said.

“President Aquino also has discretionary funds available at his disposal. In addition, assistance from the international community will mitigate stresses on the government’s fiscal position.”

 

...the featherweight showdown

This is PH's victory, says Donaire

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

 11/10/2013

 

 

MANILA, Philippines – Former world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire dedicated his victory to the Philippines after stopping Armenian fighter Vic Darchinyan in the ninth round of their featherweight showdown Saturday in Corpus Christi, Texas (Sunday in Manila).

Fighting for the first time at the featherweight division, Donaire overcame a sluggish start and felled Darchinyan in the ninth round with his left hook, eventually forcing the referee to stop the fight after he unloaded several bombs on the wobbly Armenian.

“It wasn’t my win tonight, it was the Philippines’ win,” Donaire posted on his social media accounts following his victory. “We are strong and we have faith. Thank you Lord for keeping me safe, giving me a sound mind, helping me see what needed to be done.”

“Thank you to the Archangels and especially all the fans and Filipinos who watched despite the typhoon,” he added.

The Philippines is reeling from the effects of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), with authorities estimating that at least 10,000 people were killed in Leyte.

In an interview following his victory, Donaire had asked for prayers for his motherland.

"First and foremost, prayers to people in the Philippines who were hit by the typhoon," he said.

"Please have your prayers for people in the Philippines."

Even prior to the fight, Donaire said he was dedicating his performance to the Filipino people.

“Dedicating my fight to uplift the Filipinos’ spirits. Our indomitable spirit has been recognized worldwide,” he said. “Keep the faith, He will not abandon us in our time of need. Continued prayers for the earthquake and typhoon victims.”

Even so, Darchinyan came very close to avenging his 2007 loss to Donaire, taking control of the fight in the middle rounds and at the end of the fifth round, unleashing a flurry of punches on the Filipino, who was saved by the bell.

Donaire even admitted that he doubted himself at one point in the fight.

“When he hit me in the cheek, I felt like he broke my cheek, and I thought, ‘Is this it for me? I’m losing the fight. Should I keep going?’ But I put my heart into it, and you know what, I will never, ever quit,” he said.

Malacañang on Sunday commended Donaire and beauty queen Ariella Arida for bringing pride to the Philippines during these trying times.

“We extend our congratulations to Ms. Arida and the Filipino Flash. We appreciate their efforts to bring a bt of smile to Filipinos who are going through so much,” said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte on radio dzRB on Sunday.

Arida had finished third-runner up in the 2013 Miss Universe pageant, a feat which she also dedicated to her countrymen.

 

...the Miss Universe 2013 runner-up

Ariella Arida is Miss Universe 3rd runner-up

 

by Miguel Dumaual,

ABS-CBNnews.com

11/10/2013

Coronation night dedicated to PH, Vietnam

Ariella Arida takes the stage in a yellow Alfredo Barazza dress at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia during the Miss Universe preliminary competition. Darren Decker, REUTERS

MANILA  -- The Philippines' Ariella Arida on Sunday (Manila time) finished 3rd runner-up in Miss Universe 2013, a feat she dedicated to her countrymen who were devastated Friday by the world's most powerful typhoon this year.

Venezuela's Gabriela Isler won the title, besting 85 other candidates during the coronation night held at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia, which hosted the 62-year-old pageant for the first time.

Said to have one billion viewers in over 190 countries, the event was announced in the opening minutes to be dedicated to the Philippines and Vietnam, neighboring countries in the path of destruction of super typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan).

Isler, a marketing graduate and professional model, was crowned by Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo of the United States to become the new titleholder for one year.

The runners-up, in order, were Spain's Patricia Rodríguez, Ecuador's Constanza Báez, Arida, and Brazil's Jakelyne Oliveira.

The Philippines' bet was notably the only Asian in the Top 5.



Fan favorite

Dubbed an early favorite leading up to the finals night, Arida earned a spot in the Top 16 after winning the official online polls. She then took the stage in a red bikini for the swimsuit portion, along with her fellow semifinalists.

Advancing into the Top 10, Arida proceeded to parade in a yellow Alfredo Barazza dress for the evening gown segment.

In the final round of the pageant, Arida was asked by judge Tara Lipinski: "What can be done about the lack of jobs for young people starting their careers around the world?"

The Filipina beauty answered: "For the people who have lack of jobs, I do believe that we people should invest in education and that is my primary advocacy, because we all know that if everyone of us is educated and well aware of what we are doing, we could land into jobs and we could land a good career in the future. Education is the primary source and ticket to a better future."




Isler, meanwhile, was asked by judge Steven Tyler: "What is your biggest fear and what is your plan to overcome it?"

She responded through an interpreter: "I believe that one may have a lot of fears but nonetheless, this is nothing negative. I believe that we should all overcome our fears, and this in turn, would make us much stronger. And thusly, we can become stronger persons. As soon as we overcome our fears and we're sure of ourselves, we can face any challenge."

Of the five finalists, Arida was the only candidate who answered in English and without an interpreter.

With her 3rd runner-up finish, Arida replicated the success of Shamcey Supsup, the Philippines' candidate in the 2011 pageant. Janine Tugonon and Venus Raj finished 1st runner-up in 2012 and 4th runner-up in 2010, respectively.

The Philippines is still hoping to produce its third Miss Universe winner after Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margie Moran in 1973.

'For the Philippines'
A day before the coronation night on Sunday, Arida, through a video on the official page of Miss Universe on Facebook, addressed her fellow Filipinos amid the destruction brought by "Yolanda" in several parts of the Philippines.

Said to be the strongest typhoon in recorded history to make landfall, "Yolanda" wiped out entire structures and left at least 138 dead as of Saturday night, according to the local disaster management council, with hundreds more feared unaccounted for.

"This fight, I offer to you guys, to all my Filipino people," Arida said in the online video. "It's for the Philippines. Keep safe and keep on praying. Be strong."

Amid news of the widespread destruction, Filipino pageant fans kept hopes high for Arida to take home the crown. Leading up to the finals night, Arida was widely tipped to win the title after her string of special appearances in pre-pageant events.

Viewing parties were held at different venues, including a government-sponsored gathering in her home province and packed bars, despite the coronation night kicking off at 2 a.m. local time.




In Moscow, some 700 supporters carrying banners and Philippine flags were gathered by the Filipino Association in Russia at the Crocus City Hall. The strongest cheers were heard whenever Arida took the stage, ABS-CBN News' Dyan Castillejo reported Sunday from the venue.

The same zeal for international pageants was also evident early this year, particularly with the back-to-back wins of Filipinas Megan Young and Mutya Datul in Miss World and Miss Supranational, respectively.

 

...the International Media Excellence Awardee

'Matanglawin' wins int'l award for 'Sabang Dragons'

 

By Jenny Ybañez,

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

11/08/2013

 

LONDON - The International Media Excellence Awards 2013, organized by the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB), recognized ABS-CBN show 'Matanglawin: Sabang Dragons'" with the highly recommended award in the children's factual category.

"[The Matanglawin show] overcame daunting logistical challenges to produce a highly informative, skillfully shot and edited show," the AIB said.

 

"The objective of AIB awards is to honor the best content in the world. We have some excellent nominations from across the globe and the whole idea was to have an evening to honor the best and their excellence and recognize them," said AIB's Amitabh Srivastava.

Hosted by Kuya Kim Atienza, Matanglawin is aired on ABS-CBN Channel 2 every Sunday at 11 a.m.

Fellow winner for Children's Factual Category was BBCs Children's News Show 'Newsround'.
"We made a documentary we did it and we got great feedback from the audience and getting something like this was just a bonus," said Ricky Boleto, presenter for BBC Newsround.

The second ABS-CBN show also nominated on the night was 'Failon Ngayon: Island of Boracay 2', hosted by veteran anchor Ted Failon.

On their 9th year running, it is the first time a program from the Philippines was nominated in the awards.

"I was mighty surprised that you do have almost world class content and the fact that you're nominated in two categories is a true testimony to that," said Srivastava.

AIB is known for its unique center of information about international broadcasting, covering tv, radio, online and mobile.

 

...the most powerful man in Asian MMA

Victor Cui The most powerful man in Asian MMA is a Filipino

By Randy Caluag
October 27, 2013

With barely two years old in existence, the One Fighting Championship is now widely regarded as the best and largest mixed martial arts organization in Asia.

So why has ONE FC become a byword in the Asian mixed martial arts community?

Khim Dima of Cambodia pummels Filipino Rene Catalan on the back of his head in the recent ONE FC Total Domination in Singapore. Their flyweight bout was ruled a no-contest due to illegal blows.

This is simply because One FC has brought together the best fighters in Asia and the world, pit them against each other in well-balanced cards to come up with high-octane, colorful fight promotions to the delight of the fans in the Asian continent.

The result is a 90% percent market share in terms of fan following in Asia—one billion plus viewership in the first three quarters of the year and an unprecedented ten-year TV deal with Fox and Star Sports for a coverage that spans 70 countries around world.

There is no doubt that ONE FC is MMA’s real deal in this part of the world.

And behind the powerful brand is a young visionary in Victor Cui, who was recently recognized by USA Today as the most powerful man in Asian MMA.

Filipino CEO

The 42-year-old Victor, ONE FC’s chief executive officer, is a pure-blooded Filipino but who has made himself a citizen of the world.

Victor’s father is a Cebuano and his mother is from Camiguin Island, but , Victor was born in Canada and spent part of his childhood in Africa because of his father’s work as an engineer diplomat.

After finishing his degrees in Business and Politics, he took up executive masters in Luxury Branding.

Cui ( center) with the Philippine contingents in ONE FC Asia Summit held in Singapore last May

His educational background led him to the exciting world of sports marketing, where he handled various executive positions at ESPN Star Sports, PGA Tour, X Games Asia, the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics for 15 years. He has traveled extensively and has made Singapore his home where ONE FC is based.

The rich experience has served him in good stead in founding ONE FC and making it the fastest growing promotion in MMA history.

One FC has so far staged live competitions in Indonesia, Philippines,Singapore and Malaysia and had attracted television audiences not only in Southeast Asia, but to as far as China, India, Russia and the Middle East because its promotions feature top fighters from various Asian countries.

And with still three months to go before the year ends, ONE FC has already breached the one-billion barrier in TV viewership.

Fastest-growing sport

Of all sports, why MMA?

 

“MMA is the fastest growing sport. Its skyrocketing popularity is phenomenal. It’s hard to resist such kind of business opportunity,” Victor told the Manila Standard in a one-on-one interview.

 

“While other sports struggle to fight decline, MMA is exploding.”

 

Repucom.com, a sports-dedicated website, verifies Victor’s claim.

According to its study, MMA is now ranked third behind football and Formula One among the sports which drew the fans’ highest level of interest, surpassing more established sports events such as golf, rugby and Moto GP.

As a testament to MMA’s powerful presence in Asia, Fox and Star Sports recently signed a 10-year coverage deal with ONE FC. Even big sponsors like oil giant Petron and Japan’s Sony, have recognized the marketing viability of the sport that was once held underground.

Mainstream media such as CNN and BBC have also featured fighters from ONE FC. “My success principle is about going for the best. I work with the best people and treat them well—the best gym partners, best fighters, best staff and all.”

Best in the world

 

ONE FC CEO Victor Cui announces the year-end promotion in December

Victor however thinks of ONE FC as not just a fight organization.

“We’re not just a foreign company that goes to one country and take all the fans’ money. We want to be the platform for growth of the sport and the athletes. One FC is a media company. But first,we are creating the brand. We’re building heroes, superstars. Our dream is to become the best media company in the world.”

Despite the lofty goals that he has set for ONE FC, Victor does not forget his Filipino lineage. He takes pride in the Filipino warrior’s heritage, and this is why in every ONE FC event, there are always Filipino fighters seeing action. He has so much faith in the Filipino fighters even as they keep on losing in the circular cage of ONE FC tournaments.

“I do not just look on winning or losing. It’s about how they fight in the cage. How they excite the fans. Most Filipino MMA fighters like to fight the way Manny Pacquiao fights. That’s why fans love them. That’s what make ONE FC exciting,” explained Victor.

“But Filipinos fighters have to train harder and continue to learn. Everybody is learning fast. The level of competition is rising along with the popularity of the sport.”

Baguio City-based Team Lakay, for instance, is one of the mainstays in ONE FC. In fact, former featherweight champon Honorio Banario and veteran Eduard Folayang, both coming off disappointing losses, are coming back to the cage on Dec. 6 for the ONE FC Moment of Truth at the Mall of Asia.

Banario, a multi-title wushu athlete, wants to take back the title from Japanese Koji Oishi who knocked him out in their previous title duel last May, also held at the MOA Arena.

It’s the ONE FC’s year-ending event that Victor wants to end with a bang. For Victor, the Philippines remains the fight capital of Asia. And no one seems to argue.

After all, he just happens to be the most powerful man in Asian MMA, bar none.