...the NFL star

PH-born NFL star to set up hospital

 

January 14, 2012

Manila Bulletin

 

MANILA, Philippines — Tim Tebow, one of America's hottest new sports heroes, will help pay for a children's hospital in the Philippines where he was born, his charity partners said Friday.

The $3-million, 30-bed facility will open in Davao City in mid-2013, the US-based charity CURE said in a statement on its website where a video message from the Denver Broncos quarterback was also posted.

“I've always had a special place in my heart for the country in which I was born, and I'm very excited about this project,” Tebow said in the message as he appealed for the public to join him in donating to the hospital's fund.

“This hospital will change the lives of thousands of children in the Philippines.”

The Tebow CURE Hospital will specialize in bone disease and injuries for children, with about of a third of the young patients expected to be charity cases.

The hospital will house a “Timmy’s Playroom” to be used by children who undergo surgery.

The Tim Tebow Foundation, established in 2010, plans to build playrooms in children's hospitals around the world, and the Davao one will be the first.

CURE spokesman Matt Shandera told AFP Friday that preparatory work was under way to build the hospital this year.

"We have people working on this project there," he said in a telephone interview from the United States.

Tebow, a devout Christian dubbed by some in the press as "God's quarterback," is known for late-game heroics, leading to seemingly miraculous, come-from-behind victories for the Broncos in the National Football League.

Tebow was born in 1987 in Manila, where his Baptist parents were then serving as missionaries. (AFP)

...the Pilar of Philippine movies

Pilar Pilapil stars with British actress Virginia McKeena in migration drama

Philippine Daily Inquirer

January 14, 2012

 

PILAR Pilapil plays an elderly cleaning lady in the migration film, “Leona Calderon.”

Veteran actress Pilar Pilapil shares top billing with British stage and screen actress Virginia McKeena in Fil-Briton filmmaker Jowee Morel’s migration drama, “Leona Calderon.”

“I couldn’t believe it at first,” said Pilapil of being chosen to work with McKeena, a Golden Globe best actress nominee for the naturalist film “Born Free” in 1966 and a Sir Laurence Olivier best actress winner for West End’s “The King & I,” in which she starred opposite Yul Brynner in 1979. “Imagine coming face to face with an icon in British and Hollywood films. It was really an honor for me.”

In 1956, McKenna received the British Academy for Film and Television Arts (Bafta) Award for best actress for her performance in the film “A Town like Alice.” Two years later, she was nominated best actress for her role as World War II special agent Violette Szabo in 1958’s “Carve Her Name with Pride.”

Instant friends

On the set of “Leona Calderon,” which was filmed in London, Pilapil said she and McKenna became instant friends.

“Although we didn’t talk lengthily, we felt mutual respect for each other,” said Pilapil, who plays a shy, elderly woman who makes a living by cleaning establishments and private homes.

Morel, a former London-based recording artist, wrote the script of “Leona Calderon” himself. The indie filmmaker has directed the full-length features “Ec2luv,” “Moma,” “Mga Paru-Parong Rosas (Pink Butterflies),” “Mona, Singapore Escort,” “When a Gay Man Loves,” “Moving Dreams,” “Latak” and “Strictly Confidential” as well as commercials, music videos and documentaries.

“When I first met Virginia McKeena, I was mesmerized. She was really an angel who would give you peace and comfort,” said Morel of the actress, who has just wrapped up a British film titled “Love/Loss” with Vanessa Kirby, Diana Quick and Keith Michelle. “She even baked a lemon marble cake for me.”

On top of that, she agreed to appear in the film for free.

McKeena, who was featured in “Sliding Doors” in 1998 with Gwyneth Paltrow, said she fell in love with Morel’s story about an overseas Filipino worker in the United Kingdom who was facing a dilemma — whether to come home to the Philippines broke and go through onerous medical treatment for uterine cancer or to stay in London for proper health care for as long as she lives.

Since first reading the screenplay, Morel said, McKeena never had second thoughts about doing the role of an old British woman who was abandoned by her family.

Known for her serene nature, McKeena was very accommodating, said Morel.

...the friendliest countries

Phl ranked 8th friendliest country - expat survey By Artemio Dumlao (The Philippine Star)  January 14, 2012

BAGUIO CITY ,Philippines  – The Philippines ranked 8th in the list of the “World’s Friendliest Countries” in the “Expat Explorer Survey 2011” conducted by banking giant HSBC, it was reported on the website of Forbes magazine.

The survey showed that hospitality is the greatest asset of the Philippines in the tourism industry.

The survey conducted in 100 countries worldwide between May and July 2011 rates countries based on the preference of expatriates to make them “their second home.”

The 15 friendliest countries in the world, starting from the highest rated, are New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, Canada, United States, Turkey, United Kingdom, Philippines, Spain, Malaysia, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Singapore, and France.

Expatriates perceive the Philippines as a country that “is friendly on wallets,” with 47 percent of the respondents reporting “an increase in access to luxuries” such as domestic staff, swimming pools, and owning properties. 

In the survey, the Philippines trails behind United Kingdom where expatriates find integration into the community to be relatively easy, though expressing concerns on the high cost of living.

The Philippines ranks ahead of Spain where expatriates “fit in well,” many of them reporting to have integrated well into their community, enjoyed the local culture, made friends, learned and used the language, and have experienced a better work-life balance than in their home countries (which included the UK, US, France, and the Netherlands.)

HSBC surveyed 3,385 expatriates in 100 countries but only 31 were ranked for the survey. This is because countries with fewer than 30 respondents were deemed statistically insignificant.

...the new tourism slogan

DOT: New tourism slogan wowed int'l travel experts

abs-cbnNEWS.com

01/14/2012

The Filipinos are already known to be one of the happiest and warmest people in the world.

MANILA, Philippines - The new Philippine tourism campaign with the slogan, "It's more fun in the Philippines", was well-received during the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in Manado, Indonesia this week.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said the ATF 2012 was the "perfect platform to introduce the campaign to some 1,600 international delegates of buyers and sellers, the NTO (National Tourism Organization) community and media delegates."

The campaign was unveiled during the Philippine-hosted dinner at the Sultanraja Hotel in Manado on Jan. 13, a week after it was launched by the Department of Tourism via social networking sites in the Philippines.

The campaign, Jimenez told ATF delegates, highlights the country's edge against other tourism destinations -- the Filipino people.

“Our strategy is simple: while other countries invite you to observe, Filipinos can promise a more heartfelt and interesting experience. Wherever you go, whatever you do in the country, it’s the Filipinos that will complete your vacation and will make your holiday unforgettable,” noted Jimenez.

The Filipinos are already known to be one of the happiest and warmest people in the world.

A survey conducted by international bank HSBC last year revealed that the Philippines is the 8th friendliest country for expatriates. HSBC surveyed 3,385 expats in 100 countries between May and July 2011.

Jimenez said the government is hoping that the whole country will help create positive buzz about the catchy tagline.

The campaign was trending on Twitter Friday last week, when it was first introduced to local media. Netizens flooded the web with creative ways to interpret the line through do-it-yourself memes, which could likely land on shirts, billboards, stickers and other collaterals, Jimenez said.

Meanwhile, the "#1FORFUN" local slogan aims to rally the Filipino nation to strengthen and sustain this well-appreciated fun character and be a “constant reminder to make sure people’s experiences in our country are positive, enjoyable, and most of all, fun,” the tourism chief added.

---

...the 16th major economy

HSBC study sees PHL as world’s 16th biggest economy in 2050 – report

January 12, 2012

GMA News

The Philippines will likely be the world’s 16th biggest economy in 2050, CNN reported Thursday, citing a recent report by HSBC Global Research.

This reflects a 27-notch improvement from the Philippines’ position among global markets in 2010, HSBC reportedly said. http://business.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/12/worlds-top-economies-in-2050-will-be/

The world’s number one economy in 2050 will likely be China, followed by the United States, according to HSBC.

Meanwhile, HSBC Global Research outlined conditions for such economic growth. “We openly admit that behind these projections we assume governments build on their recent progress and remain solely focused on increasing the living standards for their populations,” it said.

“If we step away from the cyclicality,” the think-tank added, “there are two ways economies can grow; either add more people to the production line via growth in the working population, or make each individual more productive.”

GMA News Online is still trying to access a full version of the HSBC report as of this posting.

The report, however, said economies could be derailed in moving forward by factors like “war, energy consumption, constraints, climate change, and growing barriers to population movement across borders,” CNN noted. — With Paterno Esmaquel II/VS, GMA News

...the woman director

Filipina directs documentary on Malacañang for National Geographic Channel

By: Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

January 10, 2012

MARNIE Manicad (left) interviews President Aquino, along with four of his closest aides for the docu.Photo courtesy of JR and Arianne Rodriguez

Talk about the ultimate home invasion.

For the coming National Geographic Channel (NGC) documentary, “Inside Malacañang,” filmmaker Marnie Manicad gives viewers a peek into the country’s most tightly guarded address – the official residence and workplace of President Benigno Aquino III.

Manicad didn’t go into the project blindly; she was fully aware of the challenges. Securing all the necessary permits and gaining the insiders’ trust were only the beginning.

“We got access to the most secluded parts of the Palace,” she recounted. “We also had to convince the Presidential Security Group (PSG) that we needed to film their training sessions and operations.”

Deeper insight

Manicad and her team had to justify their every move, especially if it involved the four people who are closest to the President – the group commander of the PSG, the personal security aide, the food tester and the presidential photographer.

She was stunned to discover that there actually was a person assigned to taste the President’s meals beforehand. She admitted, “I thought the food tester was an urban legend.”

Making the docu yielded other discoveries as well. “I learned more about the history and evolution of the place. It provided us with a deeper insight on the Palace – not just the physical structure, but its meaning to us, as Filipinos.”

THE DOCUMENTARIAN (right) in the Palace kitchen. Now she knows that the food tester is no urban legend.Photo courtesy of JR and Arianne Rodriguez

In making “Inside Malacañang,” Manicad said, she was inspired by the NGC docus “Inside the Vatican,” “Inside: The Obama White House,” “Air Force One” and “Restrepo: Outpost Afghanistan.”

These “nontraditional” stories encouraged Manicad to “push the limits” of local docu-making. “It’s difficult to make docus, especially if it’s about a heavy topic,” she admitted. “In doing narrative feature films, you can adjust on the set. But with docus, you need complete grasp of the subject, because you can’t make excuses once you start shooting.”

Things are made more arduous by the very high journalistic and filmmaking standards set by NGC, whose editors went over every line of the script with a fine-toothed comb.

“For this docu, I had a 16-page voiceover script,” Manicad related. “But with the added research annotations and references, it reached over 84 pages. NGC is that strict when it comes to facts and details.”

NGC doesn’t accept popular online sources such as Wikipedia for the kind of information she needed. “You should only rely on books, actual reports and first-hand interviews,” the filmmaker said. “The script had to be cleared by NGC Singapore, Hong Kong and Washington DC before we could record the final narration, done by veteran actor Joonee Gamboa.”

It’s a landmark docu. It will not just give viewers an unprecedented, all-access pass to the Palace; it will also be shown on National Geographic channels all over the globe in the first quarter of this year.

“It’s unbelievable. I only used to dream about making docus. Now, not only did I finish one; as a bonus, it will be aired on NGC,” Manicad said.

Top supporter

Helping her every step of the way was husband Jiggy Manicad, GMA 7 reporter and anchor. “Jiggy has always been my top supporter. He breathes news and investigative docus. He gives me a lot of constructive criticism. We’re a team. He acted as creative consultant on this docu and also on my coming film.”

Apart from producing the motoring show “Turbo Zone” on GMA News TV, she also codirected with Cesar Apolinario, her husband’s fellow GMA 7 reporter, a feature film entitled “Dance of the Steelbars,” top-billed by Hollywood actor Patrick Bergin and Kapuso star Dingdong Dantes. “In the works is another docu for NGC in 2012. I also hope to produce a new TV show soon,” she said.

...the bull-run

Philippines stock index hits new record high


By: Doris C. Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012


MANILA, Philippines—The local stock index broke to a new record high on Tuesday as yield-seeking investors loaded up on blue chips in anticipation of good prospects for corporate earnings in a low-interest rate environment this 2012.

The main-share Philippine Stock Exchange index gained 19.48 points, or 0.43 percent, to close at a new record high of 4,561.08. This exceeded the previous record close of 4,550 posted on Aug. 1, 2011.

Tuesday’s upswing was led by the property counter, which surged by 1.17 percent.

Value turnover amounted to P6.26 billion. There were 100 advancers that edged out 57 decliners while 42 stocks were unchanged.

Investors snapped up shares of PLDT, Metrobank, AGI, Ayala Corp., EDC, Philex, Globe, DMCI, ICTSI, URC, ALI, Metro Pacific Investments, BPI, RLC, Aboitiz Power, First Gen and Megaworld. PNB was likewise higher in active trade.

On the other hand, there was profit-taking on BDO and Lepanto “A” (open only to local investors).

Bede Lovell Gomez, assistant vice president at First Metro Investment Corp., said that after outperforming most regional markets in 2011, the local bourse would likely perform even better this year and target the 5,000 mark by yearend.

Gomez said strong investor appetite on the local stock market was being driven by low interest rates, manageable inflation, implementation of infrastructure spending under the public-private partnership framework, a potential credit rating upgrade and bright prospects for tourism.

“Our theme for 2012 will focus on infrastructure, gaming and consumer sector,” Gomez said.