2010 02/10-02/16

MANILA MAIL COMMUNITY

WBO & IBA World Champion Ana "The Hurricane" (center) is currently training in the Bay Area with legendary Coach Nonito Donaire Sr. along side WBO FLyweight Champion Marvelous Marvin Sonsona & future World Champion Ciso "Kid Terrible" Morales who are both here from the Philippines. Ana trains everyday at the West Wind Gym in Berkeley CA.

This column wishes to extend the most warm 'Happy Birthday' greetings to both Club Royale International's President and Grand Lady, Gil Navarro (Feb 10th) and Jett Viray-Navarro (Jan 24th), respectively.

San Diego's Hermes Eugene Bautista auditioned at the Santa Clara's CA Great America Park (where this picture was taken, minutes before final announcement) in September last year and got in (he is now evicted) at Pinoy Big Brother Double Up, a reality-based TV show now concluding via a grand Big Night this Saturday, Feb 13th at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The show although not being shown on TFC due to Endemol contract prohibitions, is being posted for global viewing regularly at Youtube and other sites - free of charge.

Bon Voyage to San Jose's Susan Pacifico, rightmost, who left last week for the Philippines to feed 200 hungry children in Baguio, as part of her annual charity event. Shown with her in this photo is her daughter, San Ramon's Christine Paul (2nd left) with grandsons, Will and Harrison, and Manila Mail's Richard Lao.

Ichiban Library's Edna Ramos (4th left) poses with artists (L-R), Carlo Orosa, Simon Soler (formerly of Jeremiah Band), Karylle, the show's official legal counsel, Atty. Jemella Nettles, Christian Bautista and Raymond Ritchie.

Atty. Jemela A. Nettles (left) processed Karylle's and Christian Bautista's entertainer visas, shown here with the show's Line Producer, Sunny Tila of Fremont (center) and San Pablo's George Ventura (right) during Karylle's Pre-Valentine's Day concert with Christian Bautista.

All-woman Karylle, wearing Valentine-red gown with thigh-high slit, enthralled sold-out audiences at the Cache Creek Casino last Friday and Saturday nights during her first-ever US concert, together with Christian Bautista.

*****

Tess Crisologo-de los Santos, Miss Adamson University of the Philippines 1969 and Past President of Lions Club International 301-A1, poses with relatives and friends during her 60th birthday celebration on January 23rd at La Strada Italian Cuisine.

With co-employees at Nation's Food Co.

Front - Sue, Sonia, Mercy, Tess (celebrant), Bernice,Fey, Muey, Jennifer and Phet

Back - Dal, Marissa, Marvin, Angela and May

With the De Los Santos Family (L-R), Oly, Annabel, Eddie, Romy (Tess's husband), Tess, Ricky, Lida, Jess, Arthur, CJ, RJ, Lara, Ronel, Regina and Ryen.

“MODERN DAY SLAVES” by Fil-Am Filmmaker

to Screen at the New York International Film Festival In Los Angeles

Ted Unarce’s Film will also screen at the Cannes International Film Festival in May

“MODERN DAY SLAVES”, the riveting story of four real-life overseas foreign workers, also known as ‘OFWs”, captures chillingly the true essence of injustice and inequity; this mesmerizing expose soon will breathe its screening debut at the New York International Film Festival 2010 (Los Angeles), where it now is an Official Selection. The West Coast premier screening is scheduled on Saturday, February 27 at 8pm at Culver Plaza Theaters, 9919 Washington Blvd. , Culver City , CA 90232 . The East Coast screening is scheduled in April 2010, and will also be screened at the Cannes International Film Festival in Paris , France in May 2010.

“MODERN DAY SLAVES is not meant merely to grab viewers’ attention, said Fil Am Filmmaker Ted Unarce”, but also a call to action.” Through its raw depiction of four Filipino OFWs who respectively undergo severe physical and psychological maltreatment, rape, torture, and even beheading, MODERN DAY SLAVES aims to illustrate the neglect and abuse endured by OFWs, to thereby create awareness, and to use this awareness as a catalyst toward improving human lives”, Unarce further added.

Filmmaker Ted Unarce’s mission is to bring modern-day slavery to the forefront of topics openly discussed and acted upon among academia, the media and the public.

This opening of Unarce’s provocative work intends also to intensify dialogue within the Philippines , where President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo imposed martial law on December 6, 2009, after the country was devastated by two cataclysmic typhoons in October of last year. A site of numerous acts of violence and purported political massacres, tensions in the Philippines are high and expected to skyrocket as the May 2010 presidential elections draws closer, also as efforts to replace President Arroyo, who has been widely accused of human rights abuses by international NGOs, intensify.

“My film will serve as a wakeup call to Filipinos living abroad that it is time to unite with our countrymen back home and demand accountability from the political leaders of the Philippines,” says Unarce.

Ted Unarce is the president and executive producer of GTC Films, a San Francisco, California-based production company that specializes in documentaries that expose the effects of economic insecurity and globalization on the lives of people in both developing and developed countries.

In recognition of Unarce's film, The Accolade Film Awards grants Ted Unarce the 2010 Humanitarian Award for his significant contribution to social change and humanitarian causes for raising awareness among the public about the plight of the Overseas Foreign Workers. The Accolade recognizes filmmakers who produce fresh, standout entertainment and compelling documentaries, and those who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity.

The film received strong supports from the San Francisco Bay Area Fil Am community among them, Demos Punsalan, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit California Technological Care (http://ctcglobal.wordpress.com), and Bay Area attorney and community leader Cesar Fumar who both witnessed the private screening of the film.

In addition to being chosen at the New York International Film Festival 2010 in Los Angeles, Modern Day Slaves won several Awards of Excellence from the prestigious Indie Fest; Canada International Film Festival, and was selected at the International Film Festival South Africa.

For more information, visit ModernDaySlavesMovie.com(http://www.moderndayslavesmovie.com) and GTCFilms.com(http://www.gtcfilms.com)

Contact: Demos Punsalan, 510 742-2207

email: dpunsalan@sbcglobal.net

SEEN IN THE CITY

Love Conquers All!

‘Dear John,’ a heartwarming love story ended the 7-week record breaking run of ‘Avatar’ and topped the box-office this weekend. Also, ‘Paano Na Kaya’ an ABS-CBN International’s pre-Valentine movie offering starring today’s hottest loveteam – Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson, sent Bay-Area Fil-Am record crowds to UAStonestown in San Francisco. Over at Cache Creek Casino, Christian Bautista and Karylle’s Friday and Saturday night Pre-Valentine concerts at the Cache Creek Casino were both sold-out making the show’s Line Producer, Fremont’s Ms. Sunny Tila and Producers, Ben and Edna Ramos extremely happy.

Indeed, love conquers all!

TO-BE-SEEN IN THE CITY

PBB Double Up’s Big 5 Announced

As this column accurately predicted last week, Pinoy Big Brother Double Up (where 2 ex-housemates came from the US – Tom Mott of Arizona and Hermes E. Bautista of San Diego, CA) Big 5 Winners, as announced last Saturday, wereGeneral Santos City’s funnygirl, Melissa Cantiveros, Melissa’s semi-boyfriend (according to Melissa herself), Jason Francisco, Cebu’s self-made Millionaire, Paul Jake Castillo, Waiter Johan Santos and Private Securityman, Tibo Jumalon. The Big Winner (determined via viewers’ cumulative text votes the last couple of weeks) will be announced in a grand Big Night this Saturday night, Feb 13th at the Ninoy Aquino Coliseum. Expected to top the votes and win big is Melissa, as buoyed up by her love team inside the house with Jason. Although, their votes maybe split between them, thereby giving way to dark horses either Paul Jake or John to grab the lead. Tibo is expected to be in the bottom of the Big 5.

PERSONAL NOTES

Belated Happy Birthday (Jan 24th) to Club Royale International’s Grand Dame, Ms. Jett Viray-Navarro who held a very private party with family and friends at their palatial home in Ocean Avenue in San Francisco .

Advanced Happy Birthday (Feb 10th) to Club Royale International’s President, Mr. Gil Navarro, who will soon announce their charitable organization’s choice for King and Queen for 2010 any day now.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Being Miss Universe is like having a birthstone, you may lose it. Being a Filipina is like having a birthmark, it's forever.” By 1973 Miss Universe, Margarita ‘Margie’ Moran during the final Q&A portion, when asked what’s the difference between being a Miss Universe and being a Filipina.

Now on its 45th year, the annual Binibining Pilipinas Beauty Pageant is a project ofBinibining Pilipinas Charities, Incorporated (BPCI), a non-stock, non-profit organization founded by its chair, Stella Márquez de Araneta. The pageant, BPCI’s primary instrument as it pursues its mission of spreading peace and love across the nation, was envisioned as a prestigious fund-raising activity for projects that would benefit orphans, indigent families and other less fortunate members of Philippine society. Apart from producing the country’s best beauties as representatives in various international competitions, BPCI has been a key partner in nation-building for over four decades, providing skills training, educational workshops, mission work, and other relevant services for the marginalized sectors of the community.

This year’s Grand Coronation Night is scheduled on March 6, 2010 8:00PM at theAraneta Coliseum.

This column also appears online at www.FilipinoVillage.com andhttp://sites.google.com/site/adkinsmmcevents/Home/ with readership in 52 countries, according to the latest Google Analytics report.

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